The Child Welfare Committee (CWC) in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram is still awaiting an explanation from the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) about security lapses in the wake of sexual abuse allegations by minor students against coach M Manu. Last month, Manu was arrested over POCSO charges in six cases pertaining to the sexual assault of students who were being coached by him at KCA.

Speaking to TNM, Adv Shaniba Beegum, Chairperson of the Thiruvananthapuram district CWC, said that they will recommend to the government to implement stringent measures and regulations in sports coaching centres for children and minors. “Children should get training without any restrictions, fear, or stress of being targeted at any time. They should have a safe environment. There should be CCTV cameras in every nook and corner of such coaching centres. Imagine the pain these kids have gone through during their training in KCA,” Shaniba stated.

Reflecting on the first POCSO case against Manu in the 2022 incident, Shaniba recounted the time when the 12-year-old girl, along with a few young men, approached the CWC office with a complaint. “We were a bit suspicious in the beginning. But later, we realised it was a genuine case and filed a report with the police immediately. Prompt action was taken and we followed up until Manu was arrested. However, the child left the city and the case was dismissed. If the child had stayed back, we would have definitely followed up. There were no other complaints, so we did not follow up on the accused too,” she explained.

Read: A cricket coach sexually abused minor girls for years — and the powers let him get away 

The CWC is an institution formed under the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, tasked with the care, protection, and rehabilitation of children in need. Shaniba explained that the scope of their work is focused on children and their welfare, and when they receive a complaint about a child in distress, their priority is ensuring that the child is safe. When asked if the CWC appointed a support person for the child, the chairperson said that initially they did and provided counselling for the child. “But the family stopped contact after they went back to Tamil Nadu. The CWC considered the case closed,” Shaniba told TNM.

Shaniba criticised the KCA for letting Manu continue working there even after they received complaints against him. “They have been getting complaints for years. After the 2022 incident, they appointed him again. Why would they do that? If he hadn’t been appointed again, so many kids would have been spared the ordeal,” she said.

According to Shaniba, the KCA had information about Manu’s misbehaviour since 2016. “Why didn’t they take action then? What protection did they arrange for girls at the coaching centre?” she added.

In a press conference held on July 12, KCA informed that it would start a complaint redressal cell, counselling to prevent child abuse, police verification of the staff, etc. But CWC is concerned about why KCA took so long to take these measures.

Shaniba questioned the delay in KCA’s response to the allegations. “The first case was registered in the first week of June, and it took more than a month for KCA to accept their flaws in a press meet. We sought an explanation from KCA in the second week of July. It was after this that they gave an explanation. It took them so many weeks,” she said. She also strongly condemned the practice of male coaches travelling with minor girls without a female staff member.

Manu used to travel to Tenkasi with minor girls for some matches. One of the complainants in the POCSO case against him alleged that on a trip to Tenkasi, Manu gave her some drugs and raped her at the lodge where they stayed. “How can a person take minor girls somewhere far without a woman staff? This was the biggest failure,” Shaniba asserted.

Shaniba urged parents to come forward and file complaints without fearing for their children’s future, assuring them of CWC’s full support. “We will do visits to KCA. We will take measures to ensure the children’s safety,” she said.

She also added that children are unaware about unsafe touch while training for sports. “That is a major issue. While playing a sport, the children may not be able to differentiate whether a touch is necessary for training. Children should be given awareness about this,” she said.

Read: Cricketers in Kerala faced career fallout for opposing KCA coach who sexually abused girls