Kerala Cricket Coach Arrested For Sexually Abusing Minor Girls

Kerala Pink T20 Cricket Coach Manu in Thiruvananthapuram has been taken into custody under the POSCO Act after 6 girls filed complaints against him to the police. This news shocked the public, as there were already similar complaints against him, and yet he was still coaching the girl cricketers.

POSCO Case On Cricket Coach:

According to the reports, a girl who had been abused by him before was shocked to see him coaching again. She filed a complaint during the KCA tournament, encouraging others to come forward. It is said that he had been manipulating and sexually harassing girls for six years.

Parents are upset with the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) for appointing Manu as a coach despite a past police case for sexual harassment. He came out of the case when the survivor changed her statement.

Allegations On KCA:

It reported that he allures the children all the time for his sexual desires. He used the children’s passion for the game and told them that they would have to cooperate with him to succeed. He took them to the bathroom and gym where there were no CCTV footage.

In this case, the KCA is facing accusations of not taking strong action against the cricket coach Manu, and has been accused of protecting him because he was a member of the KCA.

KCA Responds:

The KCA secretary, Vinod, responded to the situation, stating that the association became aware of the matter only after the Kerala Police visited their headquarters for investigation. 

He clarified that M. Manu was appointed as a coach only after being exonerated by the Kerala High Court. Initially, when the police case was filed against him, many parents had given statements to the police suggesting the complaint was faked, possibly motivated by revenge after failing selection trials. Vinod explained that Manu was re-appointed based on numerous parental requests.

Vinod further mentioned that Manu had resigned and served his notice period. However, the KCA had to name him as a coach for the Pink tournament due to the unavailability of other qualified coaches, describing it as a temporary solution. 

He dismissed allegations that the KCA protected Manu because of his association with Vinod's club, clarifying that Manu had not been part of the coaching set-up of his club but had played as a player for a period and also for other clubs before becoming a coach.

To avoid further situations again, he said they took necessary steps and said, “Surveillance cameras were replaced with high-resolution ones and the entire area came under surveillance, However, the cameras couldn’t be installed inside the gym and toilets for obvious reasons. We had also made it mandatory for parents to be present at the premises during training.”