Bangladesh's international cricketer Shahadat Hossain and his wife were on Monday indicted by a special court in Dhaka on charges of torturing their 11-year-old maid, in what could jeopardise the pace bowler's career for life.
"The judge set March 22 for beginning the trial hearing," an official of the Women and Child Repression Prevention Tribunal said. If found guilty, the 29-year-old pace bowler, who has played 38 Tests and 51 one-day internationals for Bangladesh, and his wife Jesmine Jahan Nrittya could face up to 14 years in jail.
Hossain has already been suspended from all forms of the game by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on September 13 after a case was registered against him under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act. In line with the court practice, after pronouncing the indictment order on Monday, Judge Tanjina Ismail asked Hossain and his wife whether they would admit their guilt but the couple claimed innocence, the official of the Tribunal said.
In September 2015, Hossain had lodged a complaint with the capital's Mirpur police station, saying his domestic aide went missing. A journalist later found the maid near his house and brought her to the police station. The girl, who had injury marks on her body, complained that she was a victim of regular torture by the couple during her stay at their house. Police have said that one of her hands had been burnt with a hot cooking paddle. The couple went into hiding but police tracked down and arrested Nrittya on October 4, following which Hossain surrendered in a magistrate court the very next day. The court denied Hossain's bail prayer but freed his wife on bail on December 1.
The pace bowler, who has played 38 Tests and 51 one-day internationals for Bangladesh, later secured bail on a High Court order. The BCB banned Hossain from all forms of cricket until the charges were settled while calling the act of torture "utterly embarrassing".
