Minor Athlete Rape: FIR against national shooting coach over sexual assault

Minor athlete sexual abuse: Police stated that the minor athlete was sent to the coach's hotel room under the pretext of a discussion, but the coach then sexually assaulted the victim.

Haryana Police have registered an FIR against a national-level shooting coach in a case of alleged rape of a minor. The coach is accused of forcibly calling the minor shooting player to a hotel room and threatening to ruin her career if she did not comply. Police have registered a case based on the complaint and started an investigation. According to the FIR, the incident occurred on December 16 last year.

Forced into the room

According to a report by HT, citing the police, the victim athlete was a minor at the time of the incident. The incident allegedly took place on December 16 when the victim participated in a national-level shooting competition at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Academy in New Delhi. The accused is one of the 13 national pistol coaches appointed by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI). The complaint filed by the victim's family states that the athlete was forcibly sent to the coach's room, where she was allegedly raped.

Threatened with harm to family

According to the police, the victim's family alleged that the athlete was pressured to go to the coach's room, being told that the coach wanted to talk. When the victim entered the room, the coach allegedly sexually assaulted the athlete. The victim tried to resist, but the coach did not stop. The FIR further alleges that the coach threatened to ruin her career and harm her family if she revealed the incident to anyone.

Police examining CCTV

Following the incident, the athlete left the hotel in shock and later narrated the entire incident to her family, after which a complaint was lodged with the police. Yashpal Yadav, Public Relations Officer for Faridabad Police, stated that given the seriousness of the matter, they have asked the hotel administration to immediately share all CCTV footage from the day of the incident to corroborate the minor girl's allegations. However, the accused has neither been taken into custody nor issued any notice so far. It is also being said that the concerned sports federation has not yet been informed. Based on the complaint, the police have registered a case under Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Section 351(2) of the Indian Penal Code, as the athlete was a minor at the time of the alleged crime.