Two Australian women cricketers were inappropriately touched by a motorcyclist in Indore.
Cricket Australia on Saturday (October 25) confirmed that two members of their women’s cricket team were allegedly “approached and touched inappropriately by a motorcyclist" in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
The incident took place on Thursday (October 23), two days before Australia's top-of-the-table encounter with South Africa in the ongoing Women’s World Cup.
Two Australian cricketers left their team hotel and headed to a cafe on Thursday morning. During this time, the players faced molestation, prompting the team’s management security to report the inappropriate behaviour and an FIR was filed.
“CA can confirm two members of the Australian Women’s team were approached and touched inappropriately by a motorcyclist while walking to a cafe in Indore. The matter was reported by team security to police, who are handling the matter," Cricket Australia said in a statement.
BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia expressed his deep sadness over the incident, and commended the State Police for their swift action,
“Very unfortunate incident, and this type of incident brings disrepute. I appreciate the State police for their prompt action to nab the culprit. Let the law take its course to punish the culprit,” Saikia told news agency ANI.
Speaking to IANS, Saikia said: “This is a very unfortunate event that has taken place. Nobody expected this kind of thing to happen because India is such a hospitable country. This should not have happened with any of the guests of the country. So, we are extremely sorry for this incident, which is an unfortunate one."
“We are also happy that the police have taken prompt action in nabbing the culprit at the earliest. I hope law will take its course to punish the culprit who has been nabbed. We will also ensure that, although there is already a security ring within all the visiting teams during the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup, but we will revamp it and we will ensure that no such things happen in future. We also hope everything will go smoothly for the remaining World Cup games," he added.
Devajit Saikia also issued a separate statement through BCCI’s social media accounts, condemning the incident towards the Australian cricketers in Indore
“This is a deeply regrettable and isolated incident. India has always been known for its warmth, hospitality, and care towards all guests. We maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards such acts. We appreciate the swift and effective action taken by the Madhya Pradesh Police in apprehending the accused. The law will take its due course to ensure justice is served. We will also review our existing safety protocols and strengthen them further, if necessary, to ensure such incidents are not repeated,” Saikia said.
Meanwhile, Indore's Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Addl DCP, Crime Branch), Rajesh Dandotiyan, confirmed that the accused, Aqueel, was identified and arrested following an Intensive Strategic Operation.
"The Security officers of the women's Australian Cricket Team filed a complaint that two members of the team faced inappropriate behaviour. An FIR was registered, and the accused was identified and arrested following an Intensive Strategic Operation. The accused Aqueel is a resident of Azadnagar," Dandotiyan said while speaking to ANI.
"He has been charged under sections 74 and 78 of the BNS. The incident occurred around 11 am on October 23, when members of the women's Australian Cricket Team were walking towards a cafe from their hotel. We are examining if there were any shortfalls in the security protocols," he added.