Shillong, May 24: Meghalaya Cricket Association (MCA) president James PK Sangma on Saturday said he would approach the High Court after the association’s Secretary allegedly moved to suspend the functioning of the independent Ombudsman’s office a day after women cricketers filed a sexual harassment complaint before it.
Sangma alleged that MCA Secretary Rayonald Kharkamni convened an Apex Council meeting on May 9 without his approval or knowledge, calling the move unconstitutional. Following the meeting, Kharkamni reportedly informed the Ombudsman that the office should not function until further procedures were completed.
The development came a day after members of the MCA Under-23 Women’s Cricket Team filed a complaint before the Ombudsman on May 8, accusing the team’s head coach and manager of sexual harassment. Sangma had also written to the Ombudsman seeking a detailed investigation and protection for the players.
“I will seek to approach the Hon’ble Meghalaya High Court in order to ensure that the enquiry by the Ombudsman against the errant officials is not derailed through technical nuances,” Sangma said.
According to Sangma, the players had initially raised their complaints in December last year before then office-bearers of the MCA, including Secretary Kharkamni. He alleged that no inquiry was conducted, no response was issued and no action was taken against the accused.
The matter later reached the Meghalaya State Commission for Women (MSCW), which is now conducting a formal inquiry.
Sangma also pointed to the prolonged vacancy in the Ombudsman’s office after 2024, alleging that players were left without an independent grievance mechanism during the period when the complaints first surfaced.
Following his appointment as MCA president on January 13 this year, Sangma said an Apex Council meeting held on March 7 appointed retired Gauhati High Court judge Justice (Retd.) B.D. Agarwal as Ombudsman in line with Lodha Committee reforms and BCCI regulations.
The MSCW has summoned Kharkamni along with former MCA president Nababrata Bhattacharjee, former treasurer Dhrubajyoti Thakuria and former Cricket Operations Manager Shining Star Lyngdoh to appear before the commission on May 26 regarding the alleged inaction on the complaints.
The coach and team manager named in the allegations had earlier appeared before the commission on May 21. Findings have not yet been made public.
Reaffirming support for the players, Sangma said the association must remain a place of “trust, dignity and safety” and added that sexual harassment and any attempt to conceal or enable such conduct had “absolutely no place” in the organisation.
The identities of the complainants have not been disclosed and the inquiry remains ongoing.
