The Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) CEO Rahul Johri underwent gender sensitization counselling in Mumbai on Tuesday.

It was recommended by lawyer activist Veena Gowda, member of the three-member panel investigating the sexual harassment allegations against the high-profile cricket administrator.

The session was conducted by a company called “Rainmaker” which specialises in PoSH (prevention of sexual harassment) and raising awareness amongst the employees at a workplace. The counselling lasted for almost two hours which was attended by only Johri.

Tuesday was fixed for the purpose in the wake of Guru Ravidas Jayanti, a public holiday, when the entire BCCI office was empty.

As per a top official, the date earlier set for gender sensitisation counselling was fixed for February 18 (Monday) during a committee meeting on February 15. But it was later postponed by a day citing BCCI top officials urgent meeting with new amicus curie appointed by Supreme Court on Monday.

Rainmaker has online training modules that deal primarily in ensuring a safe working environment. “We raise employee awareness through training in an engaging manner and enable employees to relate to the various case-scenarios,” was how a source in Rainmaker told DNA on Tuesday.

Gowda not impressed

On Monday, the three-member Internal Complaint Committee of BCCI met in Mumbai without GM Cricket Operations, Saba Karim, who was away for an official work in Bangalore. Going by the insider account, all the women employees of the BCCI were summoned inside the meeting room for an interactive session.

“It was when Gowda was explaining matters related to official conduct with all the women employees, one of the employee who made sexual harassment complaint against BCCI CEO broke down and left the room,” an insider narrated the entire incident.

It has been learnt that Gowda, who is a women’s rights lawyer dealing with sexual harassment at the workplace and sexual abuse and a part of BCCI’s commitee, apparently lost her cool at this point. She also is said to have blamed board’s internal system for covering up the sexual harassment episode.

Gowda was the lone dissent voice in the three-member committee which cleared CEO Johri of any misconduct.

The other two members, who found allegations against Johri baseless and fabricated, were Justice (Retd) Rakesh Sharma and Barkha Singh. The committee was formed by Committee of Administrators (COA) chief Vinod Rai without consulting his other colleague, Diana Edulji.