TVM cricket coach found guilty in second rape case, verdict tomorrow

A fast-track special court in Thiruvananthapuram here on Monday found 40-year-old cricket coach Manu M, a native of Vallakadavu, Srivaraham, guilty of raping a student at a coaching centre in the district. This is the second conviction for the accused, who was previously sentenced to 16 years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting another minor girl at the coaching centre.

Judge Anju Meera Birla also found him guilty on a separate count of attempt to rape. The court is scheduled to pronounce the sentence on Tuesday. 

According to the prosecution, the survivor had been attending a prominent cricket coaching centre in Thiruvananthapuram since 2018. The accused allegedly took her to the gym and various bathrooms under the pretext of training and raped her. He also took nude photos and videos of the victim to blackmail her and used threats from a separate assault case to coerce her further.

When the girl began resisting, the accused stopped providing her with proper coaching, forcing her to move to a different facility in 2019. The survivor later stated she remained silent at the time out of fear that the coach would ruin her cricketing future.

The investigation revealed that Manu had allegedly abused five other children at the academy, all of whom quietly left for other training centres out of fear. The abuse finally came to light during a girls' cricket tournament in Thiruvananthapuram in 2024, when one of the survivors panicked upon seeing the accused after several years.

Her subsequent complaint gave other girls the courage to come forward, leading to six registered cases against the coach. The trial has been completed in four of these cases, resulting in two convictions so far.

Special Public Prosecutor Adv R S Vijay Mohan appeared for the prosecution.

Meanwhile, the Kerala State Human Rights Commission, while disposing of a suo motu case, directed the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) to appoint women coaches to train women and girls across the state.

In instances where a female coach is unavailable, the KCA must ensure a senior woman official is present during all training sessions involving women and girls. The Commission also ordered a complete ban on men entering women's changing rooms, mandating that warning boards be installed immediately to enforce the restriction.