Hockey
Case under POCSO Act registered against Tokyo medalist Varun Kumar
A 22-year-old woman has alleged Indian hockey player Varun Kumar of exploiting her sexually under the pretext of marriage.
Karnataka Police registered a case under the Protection of Children from sexual offences (POCSO) Act against Indian hockey player Varun Kumar on Tuesday.
The FIR has been filed by a 22-year-old woman who accused Varun of rape on the pretext of marrying her.
The woman has claimed that she was 17 years old when she met Varun through Instagram and they used to meet often.
As reported by NNIS Sports, the woman has alleged Varun of having sexual intercourse with her while he was in Bengaluru for the national camp for the Indian men’s hockey team at the Sports Authority of India centre in the city.
"Based on the complaint received from the woman, we have registered a case on Monday against the Hockey player under the appropriate section of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and sections 376 (rape) and 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Indian Penal Code," the Bengaluru Police said in a statement.
Varun has been a constant feature in the Indian men’s hockey team for the past few years and was part of the historic bronze medal-winning squad in the Tokyo Olympics.
He was also part of the squad that clinched the gold medal at the Asian Games 2022 in Hangzhou China.
The news comes days before the first game of FIH Pro League season 2023-24 where India will play Spain in the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar.
Varun was named in the 24-member squad for the tournament but the latest development casts a shadow on his selection.
