By NE NOW NEWS
Guwahati: The Meghalaya State Commission for Women (MSCW) has directed the Meghalaya Cricket Association (MCA) to initiate disciplinary action against an Under-23 women’s cricket team coach and assistant manager after concluding that their conduct amounted to sexual harassment under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.
The June 5 order follows a complaint filed by six women cricketers against coach Hemant Roy and assistant manager Sanjay Mondal, alleging verbal harassment, inappropriate remarks and private communication through WhatsApp.
According to the commission, the players first reported the matter to MCA officials in December last year, but no action was taken. The cricketers later approached the MSCW in May, prompting a formal inquiry.
After examining testimonies, documentary evidence, emails and WhatsApp records, the commission concluded that the conduct of both officials constituted sexual harassment under the POSH Act.
The MSCW directed the MCA to suspend Roy from coaching duties for three months and ensure that he is not assigned to women’s teams in the future. It also recommended that he be issued a written warning, stating that any recurrence of similar conduct could result in termination.
For Mondal, the commission recommended termination from his position as assistant manager and directed him to issue a written apology to the complainants. Both officials have also been barred from contacting or approaching the players involved in the case.
MSCW chairperson Iamonlang Syiem said the findings were based on evidence submitted by both parties and material gathered during the inquiry.
The order comes amid scrutiny of the MCA’s handling of the complaints. The commission had earlier sought explanations from former MCA president Nababrata Bhattacharjee, former treasurer Dhrubajyoti Thakuria and secretary Rayonald Kharkamni over the alleged failure to act after the complaints were first reported.
MCA president James PK Sangma, who assumed office in January, has maintained that he was not informed about the December complaints and alleged that efforts were made to suppress the matter.
Last month, Sangma said he would seek intervention from the Meghalaya High Court after Kharkamni allegedly moved to suspend the functioning of the association’s independent Ombudsman a day after the women cricketers filed a sexual harassment complaint before the office.
According to Sangma, the Ombudsman’s office was informed on May 9 not to function until further procedures were completed, despite the complaint having been lodged a day earlier. He described the move as unconstitutional and warned against attempts to obstruct the inquiry.
The controversy has also drawn attention to the MCA’s grievance redressal mechanisms. Sangma said the Ombudsman’s post remained vacant after 2024 until retired Gauhati High Court judge Justice (Retd.) B.D. Agarwal was appointed in March this year.
The findings against Roy and Mondal mark the first formal outcome of the case, which has raised questions about accountability and player safety within Meghalaya cricket.