Big twist in Jahanara Alam’s case, probe report reaches BCB as High Court questions….

It’s been a long, quiet wait, but the silence in the corridors of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has finally been broken. On Monday, an inquiry committee member confirmed that the investigation report into the misconduct allegations that rocked the women’s game has been submitted.

This isn’t just any routine administrative update. This is the culmination of a probe sparked by the explosive allegations of Jahanara Alam, the former national captain and a trailblazer for women’s cricket in the country. Jahanara didn’t just point to a locker room disagreement, she alleged sexual assault by a member of the team management, a claim that sent shockwaves through the sport and demanded an immediate, heavyweight response.

The heavy hitters on the acse

To the BCB’s credit, they didn’t just throw a few names together. They assembled a committee that carried some serious legal and institutional weight:

• Justice Tariq ul Hakim: A former judge of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, serving as the chair.
• The Original Panel: BCB director Rubaba Dowla and senior Supreme Court lawyer Barrister Sarwat Siraj Shukla (who also heads the Women’s Sports Association).
• The Expansion: Recognizing the gravity of the case, the board later added Professor Dr. Naima Huq (a Law Commission member) and Barrister Muhammed Mustafizur Rahman Khan.

The goal was clear: fairness, transparency, and a level of legal scrutiny that would leave no stone unturned.

The ‘short-lived’ deadlines

While the committee looked great on paper, the pace of the investigation was anything but fast. Initially, the BCB gave the panel just 15 days to wrap things up. But as we’ve seen in so many of these sensitive cases, “swift” often takes a backseat to “complex.”

The deadline was pushed back in early December, partly because Jahanara requested more time to get her written statement exactly right and then it was pushed again to January 31. Naturally, the fans and the media weren’t thrilled. The repeated extensions led to a fair bit of criticism, with people wondering if the matter was being kicked down the road.

With the report now officially in the hands of the BCB, the ball is firmly in their court. We’ve seen the board pledge “zero tolerance,” but the real test of that promise lies in what they do with these findings. Will the details be made public? Will there be accountability?

For a team that has fought so hard for respect on the international stage, the safety of its players is the only foundation that matters. We’re all watching to see if the BCB can deliver the justice that Jahanara and every girl dreaming of a cricket bat deserve.