Shooting
National shooting coach booked under POCSO Act
NRAI suspends National pistol coach Ankush Bharadwaj after FIR alleging sexual assault of 17-year-old shooter is registered in Faridabad.
Ankush Bharadwaj is one of the 13 national pistol coaches appointed by the National Rifle Association of India.
National pistol shooting coach Ankush Bharadwaj has been suspended for allegedly sexually assaulting a 17-year-old national-level female shooter at a hotel in Faridabad last month.
The incident came to light after the athlete’s family filed a detailed complaint at the Faridabad police station on Tuesday. The matter is under investigation as Haryana Police is in process to record statements from witnesses and secure CCTV footage from the hotel.
According to the FIR, the incident took place during a national-level shooting competition at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi last month.
The complaint alleged that Bharadwaj invited her to his hotel room on pretext of assessing her performance and sexually assaulted the shooter.
The police have registered a case against him at the Women's Police Station, NIT Faridabad, under Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Section 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The FIR further alleges that the coach threatened to ruin her career if she told anyone about the incident.
Ankush Bharadwaj is one of the 13 national pistol coaches appointed by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) and has been suspended in connection with the allegations.
“Got to know through the media. Till inquiry is made coach Ankush is suspended from all duties, will not be given any new assignment,” NRAI secretary general Pawan Kumar Singh was quoted as saying by NDTV.
