NAVI MUMBAI: In a shocking incident, two Australian players, who are taking part in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, were allegedly molested in Indore on Thursday. A motorcyclist, who was later identified as Aqeel Khan and was arrested, allegedly approached the two players and touched them inappropriately while the players were walking to a cafe on Khajrana Road in Indore.
Soon after the incident, the two players informed the security officers who arrived on the scene. Danny Simmons, the Australian team's security manager, filed a complaint at the MIG police station on Thursday evening. With a bystander noting down the vehicle number, Indore police arrested the accused, Aqeel Khan, who was on a bike during the incident.
Cricket Australia confirmed the incident in a statement on Saturday. “Cricket Australia can confirm two members of the Australian Women’s Team were approached and touched inappropriately by a motorcyclist while walking to a café in Indore. The matter was reported by team security to police, who are handling the matter,” CA said in a statement.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia condemned the incident and said that it should not have happened. “It is a very condemnable but stray incident. India is known for its hospitality and care. We have zero tolerance for such incidents. We appreciate the State Police (Madhya Pradesh) for their prompt action to nab the culprit. Let the law take its course to punish the culprit. We assure to revisit our safety protocols if required to further tighten the security," he said. “In spite of our best efforts to have security, somehow this happened and therefore we fully condemn it. We hope this kind of incident should not occur in our country and state.”
Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association apologised to the Australian team in a statement. “As the host, MPCA extends sincere apologies to the Australian Women’s team for this deeply distressing and unfortunate incident while in our city known for safety, grace, and hospitality,” MPCA statement read. "No woman should ever have to endure such trauma, and our thoughts and support are with those impacted by this distressing incident. This unfortunate event has deeply affected everyone from MPCA who cherishes the values of respect, safety, and dignity of women,” it added.
MPCA went on to add that the teams were provided for the visits to temples and various recreation sites of the players’ choice. “Therefore, in this unfortunate incident, it is essential to examine whether the players had sought security cover for the movement outside hotel, or whether the movement occurred in absence of any request for security,” the MPCA said.
