The Alipore court in Kolkata has issued an arrest warrant against Indian cricketer Mohammed Shami and his brother Hasid Ahmed. The warrant has been issued in connection with the domestic violence case that had been filed against the 28-year-old cricketer by his estranged wife Hasin Jahan in 2018.
Shami has been asked to surrender within 15 days and apply for bail, it was reported on Monday, 2 September.
Shami is currently in West Indies where Team India are playing their second and final Test match at Sabina Park in Kingston. The pacer is part of the playing XI and will be taking the field on Monday as Virat Kohli and boys look to bundle the Windies out in their second essay and complete a whitewash on the fourth day of the Test.
In early 2018, Shami and his estranged wife Jahan separated after the latter accused her husband for adultery and domestic violence. Jahan had filed an FIR against Shami in Kolkata.
Speaking to ANI, Hasin said: “The fight isn’t over for me. I am yet to get proper justice. This is only the first step towards that process. Today I am happy that I could prove all the allegations that I had made against Mohammad Shami. Everyone supported Shami and with all his money power he even hired goons to blackmail me.”
Hasin went on to thank the West Bengal chief minister, who according to Hasin, was always supporting her. She also praised Kolkata Police for the effort put in by them.
“Thankfully West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee stood by my side. Unlike police officials in Amroha who harassed me and threw me and my daughter out from our home,” said Hasin.
But Hasin slammed BCCI for their inaction against Shami and even accused them of shielding him. Shami’s wife even brought up the topic of Rahul Johri and the ‘me-too’ allegations against him and how BCCI failed to act against him too.
No Action Against Shami Yet
Reacting to the news of the arrest warrant, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) made it clear that no action would be taken against the bowler till they see the charge sheet.
Speaking to IANS, a BCCI functionary said that it was too early to take any action in the matter and a call can only be taken once the charge sheet is received.
“Yes, we do understand that an arrest warrant has been issued. But don’t really see us getting involved in this at this point in time. Once we see the charge sheet, we can decide how things stand and if the BCCI constitution calls for any action. But at this point in time, I would say it is too early to take a call on the matter.”BCCI Functionary
Asked if the same pattern would be followed wherein his central contract was held back by the Committee of Administrators (CoA) in 2018, the functionary said that had more to do with the claims of fixing which were made by the pacer's wife in her complaint.
"That was different. There were allegations that Shami had indulged in fixing games. So, the CoA felt that it was only fair that then ACU (Anti-Corruption Unit) chief Neeraj Kumar looked into the claims and submitted a report before Shami was handed his contract. The ACU chief had cleared him of any wrongdoing on the cricketing front after which he was handed his contract.
"This time round, it is more a case of domestic violence. As things stand now, his contract doesn't need to be terminated. I am sure Shami will do the needful once he is back in the country after the second Test against the West Indies ends," the functionary explained.
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