Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Shillong: Meghalaya Cricket Association President James PK Sangma announced on May 23 that he will petition the Meghalaya High Court to protect an ongoing sexual harassment probe. The move follows allegations that Association Secretary Rayonald Kharkamni attempted to disable the office of the independent Ombudsman just one day after members of the Under-23 Women’s Cricket Team filed formal complaints against their head coach and manager.
Sangma claims that Kharkamni held an unconstitutional Apex Council meeting on May 9 without approval and subsequently instructed the Ombudsman to cease operations. The Ombudsman position, recently filled by retired Gauhati High Court judge B.D. Agarwal, is a requirement under BCCI rules to ensure independent oversight.
The current conflict stems from complaints originally filed in December. Sangma alleged that Kharkamni and other former officials, including ex-president Naba Bhattacharjee, former treasurer Dhrubajyoti Thakuria, and operations manager Shining Star Lyngdoh, deliberately buried the accusations for six months. No inquiries were initiated, and the accused staff remained in their positions, with the team manager even being included in a tournament nomination list approved earlier this year.
Sangma stated that he was never informed of the allegations before approving that list and criticized the former leadership for failing to act during the election transition period. Because the association’s internal mechanisms remained stagnant, the players escalated their grievances to the Meghalaya State Commission for Women.
The Commission has summoned Kharkamni, Bhattacharjee, Thakuria, and Lyngdoh to appear on May 26 to explain their lack of action. The accused coach and manager have already appeared before the Commission to face the allegations.
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