The Kerala State Human Rights Commission has directed the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) to appoint women coaches to train women and girl cricketers in the State, following allegations of sexual harassment against a cricket coach.
The directive was issued by Commission chairperson Justice Alexander Thomas while disposing of a suo motu case registered on the basis of media reports alleging that a coach had sexually harassed and behaved inappropriately towards girls undergoing cricket training under the KCA.
The Commission said in situations where a woman coach was not available, the KCA must ensure the presence of a senior woman official during training sessions involving women and girls. It also ordered that men should be completely barred from entering changing rooms used by women and girl trainees. Warning boards should be installed wherever necessary to enforce the restriction.
The Commission also directed that parents of girl trainees should be permitted to remain at training venues if they wish to do so. To prevent untoward incidents, CCTV cameras should be installed at appropriate locations, the Commission said, adding that the footage must be reviewed every two or three days, and any suspicious activity should be reported to the police immediately.
The Commission also instructed the KCA to promptly forward any complaints against coaches to the police for investigation. Noting that the coach facing the allegations was currently standing trial in a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act case, the Commission directed district cricket associations to strictly implement the KCA’s instruction prohibiting any collaboration with him.
The Commission took note of several measures proposed by the KCA to strengthen child safety and accountability within the organisation. These include making police clearance certificates mandatory for applicants seeking employment with the KCA or district cricket associations, formulating a comprehensive Child Protection Policy, providing counselling to employees of the KCA and district associations, and constituting an Internal Complaints Committee to prevent sexual harassment at the workplace.
Justice Alexander Thomas directed the KCA to ensure the effective implementation of these measures. The Commission, calling for awareness programmes for young coaches on preventing sexual abuse against children, urged the KCA to exercise utmost vigilance to ensure that incidents similar to the allegations raised by a minor girl against an assistant coach of the Thiruvananthapuram District Cricket Association are not repeated.
According to the Commission, the Thiruvananthapuram Cantonment Police have registered six cases against the accused coach.
The incident involves students who enrolled at a leading cricket coaching centre in Thiruvananthapuram. The accused, Manu of Vallakadavu, allegedly took some of the girls to the centre’s gym under the pretext of training and sexually assaulted them on different occasions. He also demanded that the girls send him explicit photographs, which they refused to do. Following the refusal, the coach allegedly withheld proper coaching, causing the students to move to other centres.
Investigations revealed that Manu had abused at least five other students. The incidents came to light during a girls’ cricket tournament in 2024, when one of the survivors spotted the accused and reported the matter, encouraging others to come forward. Six cases were registered against him, of which trials for four cases have been completed, with the fast-track special court sentencing him to 16 years of rigorous imprisonment in one case.
