#MeToo hits cricket! Ex-Indian air hostess accuses Sri Lanka's Arjuna Ranatunga of sexual harassment

As the #MeToo campaign gathered momentum with more women recounting their horrific experiences, a former Air India air hostess has accused Sri Lanka's World Cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga of sexual harassment at a Mumbai hotel.

Former Sri Lanka cricketer Arjuna Ranatunga (File: PTI)

NEW DELHI: As the #MeToo campaign gathered momentum with more women recounting their horrific experiences on social media, a former Air India air hostess has accused Sri Lanka's World Cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga of sexual harassment at a Mumbai hotel. In a Facebook post, the woman claimed Ranatunga, who now serves as Sri Lanka's Minister of Petroleum Resources Development, made sexual advances towards her. She alleged Ranatunga grabbed her by her waist when she, along with her friend, went to met Sri Lanka cricket team members at a Mumbai hotel. She added when she complained to the hotel reception about Ranatunga's misconduct, they said, "it is your private matter." “My starstruck colleague spotted Indian and Sri Lankan cricketers in the elevator of Hotel Juhu Centaur, Mumbai and decided to meet them in their room for autographs. I decided to chaperone her, fearing for her safety, we were offered drinks (perhaps laced) I declined and stuck to my bottle of water I’d brought along," she wrote in a Facebook post.

"They were 7 and we 2; they latched the room door putting the chain secure. My discomfort was growing inside of me; I urged her to get back to our room…” "She was smitten and wanted to go for a stroll by the poolside, this was at 1900 hrs, the walk to the pool a desolate, unlit pathway at the back of the hotel, I look back to find (her friend) and the Indian cricketer nowhere in sight," she added. "Ranatunga grabs me by waist, sliding his hands along the side of my breasts, I scream fearing the worst, kicking on his legs and feet. Threatening him of dire consequences, passport cancellation, reporting it to the cops etc., for he is a Sri Lankan misbehaving with an Indian. Wasting no time, I dashed for the hotel reception a good run on an incline screaming on top of my voice. The reception said, "it is your private matter" and that they can't help me," the Facebook post read. The movement started in India after actor Tanushree Dutta alleged that well-known actor Nana Patekar sexually harassed her on the sets of a movie in 2008. The movement has intensified as more women share on social media their experiences of sexual harassment in the entertainment and media industry.