Kathmandu: The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) has suspended its national team cricket captain Sandeep Lamicchane over allegations regarding the rape of a minor.
Hours before the decision of the cricket governing body, a Kathmandu District Court had also issued an arrest warrant. According to CAN Acting Secretary Prashant Vikram Malla, a meeting of the CAN performance committee held on Thursday decided to suspend Lamichhane from the national team. On Tuesday, a minor lodged a complaint at Gaushala Metropolitan Police Circle alleging the 25-year-old spinner of raping her multiple times.
A day after receiving the complaint the Police started an investigation of the complaint and collected CCTV videos and other relevant pieces of evidence as per the statement given by the victim.
With the court issuing the arrest warrant, the Nepal Police now is preparing to bring back Lamicchane, who now is West Indies playing the Caribbean League, via the Cricket Association of Nepal. The 25-year-old spinner has been accused of raping a 17-year-old minor at a local hotel in Kathmandu.
The decision from CAN comes a day after Police formally started an investigation into Lamicchane who now is West Indies playing the Caribbean League. However, Lamichhane, accused of rape claimed to be innocent and would return to Nepal as soon as the Caribbean Premier League is over.
He made the claims in a conversation with the Nepal Cricket Association (CAN) officials. Acting General Secretary Prashantha Bikram Malla on Thursday referring to the conversation said that they are in touch with Sandeep.
Malla said that Sandeep informed the CAN that he will return to Nepal after finishing the league and promised to help in the investigation. “He said that he will return after the match.” Also, Sandeep has also expressed the hope that CAN will facilitate the legal process in his favour.
The teenage girl who filed the complaint said that she was a fan of the cricketer and she used to talk to him via WhatsApp and Snapchat. She says it was Lamichhane who first proposed a meeting.
Last year, leg spinner Lamichhane was appointed as the captain of the Nepal cricket team. Lamichhane formerly captained the Nepal Under-19 side first in 2016 during the Asia Cup and then in 2017 for the Asian Cricket Council World Cup Qualifier. He has also played in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The Police on the other hand after receiving the complaint initiated an investigation under the National Penal (Code) Act, 2017’s Section 219.
The National Penal (Code) Act, 2017 has criminalized the offence of rape under Chapter- 18, Section 219. The Section 219 (2) defines rape as “where any person has sexual intercourse with a woman without her consent or with a girl child below eighteen years of age even with her consent, the person shall be considered to commit rape on such woman or girl child.”
Section 219 (2) (a) states that consent obtained by way of coercion, undue influence, intimidation, threat, misinterpretation, or kidnapping or taking of hostage shall not be considered consent. Furthermore, section 219 (2) (b) ensures that consent obtained at the time of being of unsoundness of mind shall not be considered consent. If proven guilty, Lamichhane would be facing imprisonment of 10 to 12 years. (ANI)