Indian minister blames Australia women cricketers after harassment incident

Bharatiya Janata Party politician Kailash Vijayvargiya has blamed the Australian women cricketers, who were inappropriately touched and harassed in Indore during the ongoing ICC Women’s World Cup.

The incident, which sparked widespread criticism and anger online, occurred before Australia’s game against South Africa.

The alleged suspect was arrested by the local police, who reportedly followed the women cricketers as they were walking to a café from their hotel on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters, Vijayvargiya called the episode “a lesson for both the authorities and the players”.

“Whenever a player steps out, just like when we step out, we tell a local. The players will also realise that in the future, if we step out, then we should tell the security or local administration,” he said, according to a BBC report.

He added that cricketers needed to be mindful of their popularity in India: “There’s a craze for cricket here, like football in England. I’ve seen football players having their clothes torn… Players are very popular, so they must take care whenever they step out.”

His remarks were widely condemned online for victim-blaming and deflecting accountability from authorities responsible for player security.

Moreover, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajesh Dandotiya stated that the team’s security official reported the incident promptly, which led to an arrest.

“An FIR was registered, and the accused was identified and arrested following an intensive operation,” Dandotiya told ANI.

The suspect has been charged under Sections 74 and 78 of the Indian Penal Code, pertaining to assault on a woman and stalking.

Meanwhile, Cricket Australia (CA) faced a wave of online harassment after posting about the incident on X.com (formerly Twitter). The governing body later deleted its posts to stem the flood of misogynistic comments.

“We have deleted our tweets about the horrible incident involving our players. Our emotions about what happened to them haven’t changed. But we cannot let our platform become a vessel for abuse and the most disgusting, misogynistic comments,” CA said in a statement on October 25.