SHOCKING: Madhya Pradesh Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya Blames Molested Australian Cricketers, Calls Incident 'Lesson' For Victims

Indore: A major controversy erupted over Madhya Pradesh Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya’s recent remarks on the molestation of two Australian women cricketers in Indore. Delivering a shocker, Vijayvargiya, instead of reacting to the security lapses that led to such an incident, appeared to blame the victims. 

'Players Should Be More Careful'

Reacting to the crime, Vijayvargiya said the cricketers should have informed local authorities before stepping out of their hotel. “Any player, wherever they go, should at least inform a local person or the local administration for safety reasons, as cricketers have a huge fan following. Since players are very popular, they too should remain cautious about their safety wherever they travel. This is important for everyone,” the minister said.

Showing no sensitivity for the victims and zero accountability for brazen law and order failure, the minister called the incident 'a lesson for everyone - both for the administration and the players'. He said that the Australian women cricketers ‘made a mistake’ by leaving their hotel without informing the authorities. 

Kailash Vijayvargiya Faces Massive Backlash

Vijayvargiya’s comments have triggered widespread backlash. Leaders from opposition parties and women's rights activists lashed out at him for shifting the blame onto the victims of molestation instead of addressing administrative failures to ensure safety for women.

“This is a shocking and regressive statement by a minister. Can you imagine, these are the people who make laws for safety and protection. He must be ashamed, and as Indians, we should hang our heads in shame. Why should anyone inform anyone when they are going out? Are we not telling people that our roads and public spaces are safe?” Activist Brinda Adige told Republic.

On being confronted by Republic Media Network over his earlier controversial remark, Kailash Vijayvargiya said, "We are ashamed of this incident. There should be no politics over this. Statements made by Congress leaders are childish. I will not respond to those. Those who are creating a false perception of my statement are fools; they lack wisdom. I do not distribute wisdom. Congress leaders lack wisdom, and hence they are politicising this case."

What Happened on October 23?

The incident happened on October 23 when two Australian women cricketers stepped out of their hotel in Indore to visit a cafe. A man on a motorcycle allegedly stalked and touched one of them inappropriately before fleeing. The accused, identified as Aqeel Sheikh, a 29-year-old resident of Khajrana with a criminal background, was arrested within hours following an intensive search operation. The Australian cricketers are now in India for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025. 

Accused Sheikh has been booked under Sections 74 and 78 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and remanded to custody.

Cricket Australia Issues Statement, BCCI Condemns Incident

In its statement, Cricket Australia confirmed that two members of the Australian women's team were allegedly 'approached and touched inappropriately by a motorcyclist' on Thursday.

"CA can confirm two members of the Australian Women's team were approached and touched inappropriately by a motorcyclist while walking to a cafe in Indore. The matter was reported by team security to police, who are handling the matter," CA said in a statement as quoted by Fox Sports Australia.

"Australian team management security in-charge reported an incident where the FIR has been registered under section BNS 74 for inappropriate behaviour and BNS 78 for stalking. With the intensive strategic operation of six hours, we arrested the accused named Aqueel Sheikh, who has a criminal background... He appeared before the court yesterday, and we are interrogating him. After completing today's police remand, we are going to produce him before the court, and we are trying to send him on a judicial remand," the Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police said.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Devajit Saikia too condemned the 'unfortunate' incident and praised the State Police for its swift action.

"Very unfortunate incident, and this type of incident brings disrepute. I appreciate the State police for their prompt action to nab the culprit. Let the law take its course to punish the culprit," Devajit Saikia told ANI.