A junior hockey coach has been arrested in Haryana's Rewari for allegedly raping and impregnating a minor girl, police said. The victim, a Class 12 student from a village in the district, lodged a rape complaint at the Khol police station on Friday.
According to the complaint, the girl, who played hockey, alleged that around four months ago the coach, whom she had known for nearly three years, raped her in a bathroom at the stadium where she trained.
Survivor was pregnant
The survivor said she later became pregnant and suffered a miscarriage on January 5. Her family rushed her to a hospital after her health condition worsened.
Police in Rewari said an FIR was registered under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and other relevant provisions of law on Friday. "We have arrested the accused junior coach. After producing him in a city court we have taken him on two days of police remand and are questioning him," Rewari police spokesperson said on Saturday.
NRAI suspends national coach over sexual harassment
Earlier on January 8, the National Rifles Association of India (NRAI) suspended national coach Ankush Bharadwaj after being accused by a minor shooter. NRAI has confirmed the development, even as an FIR has also been filed against Bharadwaj in Faridabad.
NRAI Secretary Rajiv Bhatia told PTI that the coach has been issued a show-cause notice and won't be associated with any coaching activity unless he proves himself innocent. "NRAI has suspended him, and we will issue a show-cause notice. He has been suspended on moral grounds. Now, he has to prove himself innocent. Till the inquiry is not completed, he will not be associated with any coaching activity," he said.
Bhatia also stated that Bharadwaj had been recommended by NRAI to be part of the 37-man coaching staff for the Paris Olympics in 2024 and was part of the contingent as well. "It was on the recommendation of the NRAI that he was appointed by SAI as one of the coaches. It is a case of sexual harassment that happened in Surajkund," Bhatia added.
Also Read: NRAI suspends national coach Ankush Bharadwaj after minor accuses him of sexual harassment
Also Read: Kerala: Rahul Mamkootathil, expelled Congress MLA, arrested in sexual assault case by Crime Branch
