Chargesheet casts doubt over Shami's WC hopes

Kolkata Police on Thursday filed charge sheet against cricketer Mohammed Shami for alleged dowry and sexual harassment of his wife.

The charge sheet was filed at the Alipore Police Court.

Shami's wife Hasin Jahan had lodged a complaint against him in March last year, accusing him of torture, physical abuse, mental harassment and infidelity.

"The chargesheet has been filed against Shami under IPC 498A (for mental and physical torture, and dowry harassment) and 354A (for sexual harassment and assault)," Dip Narayan Pakrashi, public prosecutor in the eastern city of Kolkata, told a news agency.

"If charges are proved (in court), the punishment may amount to five years imprisonment and fine," Pakrashi added.

Jahan had also alleged that the cricketer had been involved in match fixing, following which the BCCI had dropped Shami from its central contracts.

He was, however, given a clean chit by a BCCI panel after an internal investigation and was brought back into its central contract scheme.

He has been in the Indian team for quite some time and had picked five wickets in four matches in the ongoing ODI home series against Australia.

Police sources said though she had made allegations of rape against Shami and his brother in her complaint, that charge was not pressed.

The right-arm quick is one of the main bowlers in the Indian attack and the latest development in this sordid drama puts a question mark over his immediate future. If matters further escalate, his IPL season, which starts on March 23, and possibly the World Cup in England seem uncertain.

A BCCI source said they were still to get full details of the charge sheet and one way of dealing with the case was to refer it to newly-appointed Board's Ombudsman D K Jain.