A new revelation has come to light in the case of sexual exploitation of women players by a cricket coach in Kerala. It has been learned that since 2018, the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) has received regular complaints regarding the coach’s activities, however, he continued in his position and no action was taken against him. According to media reports, a complaint was lodged against women’s cricket coach M Manu in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala in 2018 for misbehaving and harassing the girls. The issue was also brought up during the Kerala Cricket Board meeting but to no avail.
He was even accused of sexually abusing an underage female player in 2022 and the KCA was informed about the same. Afterwards, a case was registered against him under the Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. He was permitted to stay on the job even after a First Information Report was lodged against him. Later, the minor changed her statement. KCA claimed it asked M Manu to stay away from coaching after the case came to light in 2022 but resumed his role when the court cleared him. It alleged that many people then had come in support of him.
It is important to note that M Manu, who is a cricket coach at KCA, was the subject of recent allegations of sexual assault. Six victims have complained about him thus far and the cases have been filed under the POCSO Act. They stated that he molested them sexually in 2017-18. He is also charged with harassing another minor female player in a lodge in Tenkasi, Tamil Nadu, six years prior. An FIR was registered in the case in June 2024. He accepted the accusation during police interrogation but has not yet confessed to the rest of the cases. The females have also narrated their ordeal in their complaints.
The young girl who had originally complained had gone to a different city as a result of her trauma. She recently encountered M Manu when she went back to Thiruvananthapuram for a tournament after which he was apprehended. Following this, complaints were raised by other trainees.
According to the players, M Manu tormented them, asked for their nude pictures and forced them to pose naked inside the gym and toilets at the KCA headquarters. He used to claim that these photographs were required for a physical evaluation process by the KCA and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). He made obscene comments about the female players even during training. Furthermore, he had a history of pressuring the girls for sexual favours and those who objected were kicked from the team.
A complaint alleging that M Manu, a Sreevaraham resident, abused a trainee in a restroom when she was eleven years old led to his arrest on June 12. He is currently in the custody of Kerala Police. The authorities are investigating the case against him. His phone has been seized and sent for forensic inquiry. He is now being questioned in other cases. The cops reportedly have circumstantial evidence and are also collecting information from other victims.
