Two members of Australia's women cricket team were allegedly subjected to inappropriately touching by a motorcyclist while walking towards a cafe in Indore, India on Thursday, prompting the team's security officers to file a complaint with police. The incident occurred on a day off for the team following their six-wicket victory over England.
According to authorities, the two players were approached by a motorcyclist when they were walking from their hotel and allegedly touched them inappropriately. An FIR was registered against the accused man after an intensive operation, and he has been charged under sections of the Indian criminal code dealing with assault and stalking.
Cricket Australia had earlier confirmed that the incident occurred and reported it to police. The players have since been offered support but will continue playing in the tournament. Meanwhile, Cricket Board of Control for India has called the incident "deeply regrettable" and vowed to review its existing safety protocols to prevent such incidents from happening again.
The incident took place while Australia was enjoying a respite following their win against England earlier that day. Despite this, police launched an investigation into the matter swiftly after receiving reports from team security.
As news of the arrest spread, Australia's focus remained on their upcoming match with South Africa, for which they had secured a spot in the semi-finals. The tournament has seen impressive performances from Australian players, including Alana King, who achieved a record seven wickets against South Africa earlier that day.
According to authorities, the two players were approached by a motorcyclist when they were walking from their hotel and allegedly touched them inappropriately. An FIR was registered against the accused man after an intensive operation, and he has been charged under sections of the Indian criminal code dealing with assault and stalking.
Cricket Australia had earlier confirmed that the incident occurred and reported it to police. The players have since been offered support but will continue playing in the tournament. Meanwhile, Cricket Board of Control for India has called the incident "deeply regrettable" and vowed to review its existing safety protocols to prevent such incidents from happening again.
The incident took place while Australia was enjoying a respite following their win against England earlier that day. Despite this, police launched an investigation into the matter swiftly after receiving reports from team security.
As news of the arrest spread, Australia's focus remained on their upcoming match with South Africa, for which they had secured a spot in the semi-finals. The tournament has seen impressive performances from Australian players, including Alana King, who achieved a record seven wickets against South Africa earlier that day.
this is so crazy... I mean, i know we've all heard of players getting harassed on the field or at matches but to have it happen in a city like Indore where you're literally walking down the street? 
it's just not right. i'm glad that the team's security officers stepped in and reported it to police, though - that's what needs to happen more often when something like this happens. 
also super sad for the two players who have to go through this... hoping they get the support they need from Cricket Australia and the BCCI to deal with whatever happened 
just heard about this incident in India and it's absolutely appalling! 
two Aussie cricketers being allegedly groped by some psycho on a bike is unacceptable. 
I mean, what if they were alone? What if the guy was more aggressive? 
the fact that it happened in broad daylight doesn't make it any better either... 
Cricket Australia and the Indian cricket board are already offering support but let's be real, that's not enough. 
we need real change here! 
stronger safety protocols, more awareness about consent and respect for women, and an end to this toxic culture that allows this kind of behavior to happen. 
I'm seriously fuming about this. What if they had been walking alone or in a dark alley? Who would've known what happened to them afterwards? The fact that Cricket Australia was so quick to report the incident shows that they're at least on top of it, but the real question is: how could this guy not know better?! 
this is just getting out of hand... first it's a cyclist whacking some fans with his bike in melbourne and now it's some random motorcyclist harassing the australia women cricket team in india? what's next, gonna be a guy on a scooter jumping at us in london? 
. Can't they prioritize player safety for once?
. It raises serious questions about accountability and speed in reporting these types of incidents 
. On one hand, you've got to commend Cricket Australia for their swift response to report the incident and offer support to the players 
. And what's even more concerning is that we're still seeing instances like this despite the progress made towards promoting equality and justice for women worldwide 
.
It's not exactly the kind of thing you'd expect in a major tournament, but hey, at least something's being done about it.
this incident is super worrying! I mean, think about it - these players are already under so much pressure on the field, and then they have to deal with something like this off the field? it's just not right 
. I mean, two of our Aussie cricketers were just walking to a cafe and some random bloke on a motorbike starts harassing them? That's completely unacceptable 
.
. Alana King's record seven wickets against South Africa were incredible! Let's focus on celebrating women in sports and not letting incidents like this bring them down 
. Meanwhile, our athletes are expected to just "keep playing" 
no wonder there's been so much pushback on prioritizing athlete safety in recent years