Shillong, Jun 29: Former Meghalaya Cricket Association (MCA) President Nababrata Bhattacharjee had reacted strongly to a public comment made against him by his successor, James PK Sangma, recently.
Bhattacharjee’s name came up in an order passed by the Meghalaya State Commission for Women (MSCW) last week regarding a sexual harassment complaint made by U-23 women’s team players against a coach and manager.
The MSCW concluded that the previous MCA Apex Council, led by Bhattacharjee as President, did not act on the complaint itself nor did it have a grievance redressal mechanism in place.
The Women’s Commission recommended disciplinary action against Bhattacharjee and others but on Saturday Sangma said that action cannot be taken against him because he is no longer in the MCA. However, he did suggest that it was incompatible for Bhattacharjee to remain an Advisor to the Meghalaya government as it would give the state a bad image.
Breaking his silence, Bhattacharjee reacted today by describing Sangma’s statement as “prejudiced and biased”.
The complaint by the women cricketers was sent to the MCA through its official email on December 2-3. Bhattacharjee said that this email account was usually checked by office staff or other officials and the harassment complaint was never brought to his attention. The MCA was also in a transition period, with the elections to the new Apex Council scheduled for later that same month. The new body, led by Sangma, took charge on January 13.
“Had the matter been brought to my notice even in the last hour of my tenure, an emergency Apex Council meeting would have been convened to address this important issue of harassment and initiate necessary action in accordance with law and procedure,” Bhattacharjee said, adding that the retains full faith in the MSCW but appealed to it to review his deposition and supporting documents that he provided on May 26 when summoned by the commission.
Furthermore, he questioned what Sangma’s administration had done on the sexual harassment complaint between the time it took office in January to May 3 when the cricketers approached the MSCW. Sangma has previously said he, too, had never been intimated about the complaint until it reached the Women’s Commission.
“I strongly deny any suggestion that I failed to act on a complaint that was never placed before me. Any statement implying otherwise is factually incorrect, misleading and prejudicial,” Bhattacharjee added.
He has had a very prominent role in Meghalaya cricket for decades and was instrumental in getting the state full affiliation with the BCCI just under 10 years ago. Under Bhattacharjee, women’s cricket in Meghalaya grew from next to nothing to an avenue that has transformed the lives of female players. He is also Co-Convener of the North East Cricket Development Council (NECDC) and advises the Meghalaya government on environmental matters.
