Star India batter's Gymkhana membership revoked following father's religious activities at club: Report

Star India batter Jemimah Rodrigues' three-year membership at Khar Gymkhana in Mumbai has been revoked following allegations that her father, Ivan Rodrigues, conducted religious activities on the club premises. The decision was made by Gymkhana officials after members voiced their objections to Ivan's recent actions. Reports suggest that Ivan used the club facilities to host religious gatherings aimed at converting individuals. Jemimah's membership was terminated during an annual general body meeting held on Sunday. It is worth noting that Jemimah had been granted honorary membership at Khar Gymkhana in 2023, marking her as the first Indian female cricketer to receive this honor.

“The honorary three-year membership given to Ms Jemimah Rodrigues was revoked pursuant to a resolution passed by the members who attended the general meeting held on October 20, 2024," Khar Gymkhana president Vivek Devnani was quoted as saying in the report.

Another Gymkhana official said Jemimah's father, who is also a cricket coach, used the presidential hall for almost a year and a half to hold 35 events as part of an organisation. “We came to know that Jemimah Rodrigues’s father was attached to an organisation called Brother Manuel Ministries. They booked the presidential hall for almost a year and a half and held 35 events. We all know what was happening there,” said Khar Gymkhana managing committee member Shiv Malhotra.

“We hear about conversions all over the country, but it’s happening right under our nose. There was dancing, expensive music equipment, big screens. As per Khar Gymkhana’s bye-laws Rule 4A of the constitution, Khar Gymkhana does not permit any religious activity,” Malhotra said.

Former Khar Gymkhana president Nitin Gadekar said he was informed about the “religious activity” by a staff member. “Me, Malhotra and a few other members went to see it. We saw the room was dark, trance music was playing, and a lady was saying, ‘He is coming to save us’. I was surprised how Gymkhana can allow this in the first place. We protested and it was decided to cancel her membership,” Gadekar said.

Jemimah has represented India in 3 Tests, 30 ODIs, and 104 T20Is, scoring 235, 710, and 2142 runs, respectively. One of the prominent faces of the Indian women's cricket team, Jemimah, was also part of India's T20 World Cup campaign in UAE earlier this month, where they were knocked out from the group stages.