Cricketers in Kerala faced career problems for fighting against a KCA coach who sexually abused girls

It has been over two years since Jomon, an aspiring cricketer from Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, quit the sport. He was 21 years old when he joined the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) and dreamed of a successful career. However, everything changed in 2022 after he supported a 12-year-old student who alleged that her coach sexually abused her. Manu M, the coach involved, is currently in judicial custody on six counts of sexual abuse under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) that were filed against him in June this year.

The first complaint against Manu was officially filed at the Thiruvananthapuram Cantonment police station in July 2022 by the 12-year-old from Tamil Nadu. Jomon and eight other male cricketers helped the child’s family file the complaint. Years later, coach Manu was again arrested by the police on six more complaints related to incidents dating from 2018 to May 2024.

Jomon and fellow cricketers Akhil and Nikesh spoke to TNM about how the KCA and the police sided with the accused and how it made them give up their dreams for standing by the survivor.

2022 POCSO Case

In July 2022, one evening, Jomon encountered a survivor who was alone. She said that Manu, her trainer, had instructed her to attend a morning exercise session without informing anyone. On another occasion, Jomon noticed that the girl seemed distressed. “I inquired about what had happened and she told me that Manu had behaved inappropriately during her stretching exercises,” Jomon told TNM. However, Jomon did not take immediate action.

A day or two later, another girl, about ten years old, came to Jomon with a similar experience. “The twelve-year-old convinced the younger girl to tell her story,” Jomon added. “Not sure how to proceed, I informed my friends.”

Akhil, another intern, came to know about these incidents through Jomon. “There were two girls complaining about the same person. We recorded their video explaining what happened to them to send to the police,” said Akhil.

“We didn’t know at the time that we were not allowed to record a survivor’s video. We just wanted to show the police what these children were going through and it was only when we got to the police station that we realised that this was not the right way to do it,” recalls Jomon. Indian law prohibits the recording or distribution of material that reveals the identity of victims of sexual abuse.

Although Jomon and Akhil knew two girls who had been victims of assault, initially only the 12-year-old from Tamil Nadu was reported. “The father of the other child told us he did not want to take any further action,” Akhil told TNM.

They first approached the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and then filed the complaint at the police station. Akhil, Jomon and Nikesh along with their friends helped the child’s family in the process and it was Akhil who filed the written complaint at the station after which the child’s statement was recorded by a magistrate as required by law.

A day after filing the complaint, Jomon, Akhil and Nikesh along with some friends confronted Manu at KCA. “We were very angry with him. Our emotions ran high and we ended up getting into an argument with him,” Jomon said. Akhil explained that during the altercation, Manu admitted to committing the crime. “He apologised to me and admitted that what he had done was wrong. He asked us not to make a scene,” Akhil recalled. Jomon added that they demanded Manu’s resignation and an apology to the students.

Manu left the premises after the altercation. Soon after, the then KCA secretary Renjith Rajendran organised a meeting with the others present. The KCA office is right next to the training ground. “Ranjith was in his office during the altercation. When Manu left, he came out and assured that action would be taken if Manu was found guilty. But ultimately nothing came of it,” Nikesh told TNM.

When the case went to court, the survivor changed her statement and the court acquitted Manu. According to Akhil, the case was “settled with cash”.

“The system has sided with the accused”

Jomon, Akhil and Nikesh claim that KCA officials protected Manu. “Manu was a player at the Masters Club, which was owned by Vinod, who is now secretary and then treasurer of the KCA. They have a connection and Manu came to KCA through Vinod. So he always had his support,” Akhil said. He stressed that former KCA secretary Renjith was in his office when they confronted Manu. “He came out only after Manu had left. It’s not that he didn’t know about it. They chose not to intervene,” Akhil added.

Nikesh alleged that the police too turned hostile after filing the complaint. “The police were cooperative on the first day when we filed the complaint at the Thiruvananthapuram district police station. But their behaviour changed overnight. The next day, they treated us as if we were the accused,” Nikesh said.

Akhil said that the police neither called nor questioned Manu during the long hours they had to wait at the station. “On the third day after the complaint was registered, I went to the station to enquire about my mobile phone which was in police custody because we had filmed the survivors. The Sub Inspector (SI) told me that 12 petitions had been filed against me at the station alleging that I had made up this case to get Manu in trouble,” Akhil explained. Speaking to TNM, he said that no action had been taken against him over these petitions. “One of the police officials said that the content of the 12 letters was the same despite the different handwriting. I have no further information about these petitions. However, I am sure that this was done by someone with an intention to make me withdraw the petition filed,” Akhil claimed.

Jomon said they thought everyone would support them as it was a serious case, but no one did so despite knowing that Manu had misbehaved with the girls.

When the survivor filed the complaint, he did not receive much support from his peers or his parents. Many of these parents later explained that this was because Manu had successfully convinced them that the complaint was part of a conspiracy against him in the wake of the KCA elections.

In June 2024, another student filed a sexual harassment complaint against Manu. When her complaint became public, other survivors who had trained with Manu came forward and filed complaints against him. “Manu told his students, who were 11 or 12 years old at the time, that there were two ways to succeed in cricket: one was to play extremely well and the other involved additional methods. My 12-year-old didn’t understand what he meant at the time,” a parent told TNM.

The cost of assisting the survivor

Akhil said the eight cricketers, including himself, who was supporting the child, had to give up their long-cherished dream of playing cricket professionally. “Some of them did not return to KCA for training and some others said their training had been cancelled,” he recalled.

Nikesh joined KCA in 2022, about three to four months before this incident. After this incident, KCA informed some of them that their batch would no longer receive coaching. “They told us there would be no more coaching and we did not inquire further,” he said.

Akhil mentioned that they might have achieved more if they had chosen not to intervene or remain silent. Instead, they chose to fight. “I am a bowler and it was my passion. In September 2022, about two months after this incident, a T20 match between India and South Africa was scheduled to take place at the Greenfield International Stadium in Karyavattom. Two-three students would have been given the opportunity to bowl against senior Indian players for their practice sessions. I am sure I would have been the first player they would have selected. But I felt it was wrong not to stand by the survivor’s side,” Akhil said.

Although these cricketers left, Manu stayed with the KCA until May 2024. Vinod Kumar, the current secretary and then treasurer of the KCA, told TNM that when the suit was filed, they had asked Manu to stay away from coaching without salary. But after the court gave him a clean bill of health, they took him back.

Read our coverage of this story here