Sex assault accused shooting coach Ankush Bhardwaj on the run; what Haryana police said
The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) earlier this week suspended Ankush Bhardwaj, a national-level shooting coach, from all duties.
Days since being booked on accusations of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old Haryana national shooter, accused Ankush Bhardwaj remains on the run with police having formed several teams to trace and nab him.
The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) earlier this week suspended Ankush Bhardwaj, a national-level shooting coach, from all duties.
He allegedly sexually assaulted a 17-year-old national-level woman shooter during a competition-related stay in Faridabad last month.
Where is Ankush Bhardwaj?
Two teams of the crime unit and the women police station are conducting raids to nab Ankush Bhardwaj, news agency PTI quoted police as saying, adding that a dedicated police team is also camping in Mohali.
"Three teams are on the job. The accused is absconding now. The teams are conducting raids and the accused will be arrested soon," the agency quoted Yashpal Yadav, spokesperson of Faridabad Police.
According to the FIR registered on January 6, the alleged incident occurred on December 16 after the athlete participated in a national-level shooting competition at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Academy in New Delhi, as reported by HT earlier.
The complaint alleged that the coach asked the shooter to meet him in the lobby of a hotel in Surajkund, Faridabad, to analyse her performance. The family alleged that she was later pressured to go to his room, where he allegedly sexually assaulted her despite resistance. The FIR, which HT was able to access, stated that the coach threatened to jeopradise her career and harm her family if she disclosed the incident.
Rajiv Bhatia, secretary of the National Rifle Association of India, said the accused was suspended from his position as coach of the national junior team with immediate effect after the matter came to light.
“We have also referred the matter to our internal complaints committee for a detailed procedural inquiry. However, the investigation being carried out by the police will prevail above all,” the earlier HT report quoted Bhatia as saying.
The Haryana State Women Commission has also written to the police commissioner, seeking a detailed report on the matter, police said on Friday.
Commission chairman Renu Bhatia, in her letter sent on Thursday, said the case should be investigated by a dedicated police officer as the matter was extremely sensitive.
"In this connection, you are requested to kindly appoint a dedicated police officer to look into the matter pertaining to FIR No. 0003 dated 06.01.2026, registered at Women Police Station, NIT Faridabad. Further, you are also requested to direct the officer to submit the latest status report to this Commission," the letter stated, per PTI.
An FIR has been registered against Bhardwaj, who is from Mohali in Punjab, under Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Section 351(2) (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
