Faridabad: Nat’l-level athlete, 18, alleges assault by coach; FIR lodged

The FIR relates to an alleged incident after a national meet in Delhi, with police seeking hotel CCTV footage and recording witness statements.

Haryana Police have booked a shooting coach for allegedly sexually assaulting an 18-year-old national-level woman shooter at a hotel in Faridabad last month, following a detailed complaint filed by the athlete’s family, officers said, adding the victim was a minor at the time. An FIR has been registered on Tuesday, and an investigation is underway, including efforts to secure CCTV footage and record witness statements, they added.

Police say the athlete was a minor at the time, the accused has not been detained yet, and the sports federation has not been informed so far. (File photo)

According to the FIR, the alleged incident took place on December 16 after the athlete participated in a national-level shooting competition at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Academy in New Delhi. The complaint states that the coach asked the shooter to meet him in the lobby of a hotel in Surajkund, Faridabad, where he was staying, to analyse her performance.

Based on the complaint, police registered a case on Tuesday at the Women’s Police Station, NIT Faridabad, under Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and Section 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, as the athlete was a minor at the time of the alleged offence. Police said the accused, one of 13 national pistol coaches appointed by National Rifle Association of India, has neither been detained nor issued a notice so far. An officer added that the concerned sports federation has also not been informed yet.

The family alleged that although the athlete was initially told to remain in the lobby, she was later pressured to go to the coach’s room under the pretext of a more focused discussion, police said. Inside the room, the coach allegedly sexually assaulted her despite resistance, the FIR states. The complaint further alleges that the coach threatened to ruin her career and harm her family if she disclosed the incident. The athlete reportedly left the hotel in a state of shock and later informed her family. HT is in possession of the FIR.

A senior police officer familiar with the case, requesting anonymity, said the delay in reporting was attributed to trauma, fear and the accused’s alleged influence within the shooting fraternity. The matter came to light earlier this month after the athlete confided in her family and mentioned that another woman shooter had allegedly faced similar inappropriate behaviour by the same coach, though that athlete has not come forward formally, the officer added.

Yashpal Yadav, public relations officer of Faridabad police, said they have launched an investigation in the case. “Looking at the seriousness of the case, we have already asked the hotel administration to share all the CCTV camera footage of the day of the incident immediately to corroborate the allegations of the minor girl,” he said, adding legal procedures to get a medical examination of the victim done and her statement recorded before a judicial magistrate is being carried out.

The FIR also refers to an earlier incident during a training visit to Mohali in December, where the coach allegedly entered accommodation used by women shooters, making them uncomfortable. Police said these details would be examined to assess any pattern of behaviour.

The suspect coach, a former international shooter associated with private shooting ranges and coaching academies in Punjab and Haryana, will be questioned as part of the investigation. Police said further action will follow based on the probe.