The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) has suspended a prominent national-level shooting coach after police in Haryana registered a case involving the alleged sexual assault of a 17-year-old athlete.
The decision, announced late Wednesday, comes in the wake of a First Information Report (FIR) that has sent shockwaves through the Indian sporting community. The victim, a national-level shooter, was reportedly targeted during a stay in Faridabad following a high-profile competition last month.
Immediate Disciplinary Action
Pawan Kumar Singh, the NRAI secretary general, confirmed that the federation has barred the coach from all professional responsibilities pending the outcome of the investigation.
“Till the inquiry is completed, the coach has been suspended from all duties and will not be given any new assignment,” Singh stated, noting that internal protocols were triggered immediately after the FIR was filed.
A Betrayal Of Trust
The incident allegedly unfolded on 16 December, shortly after the athlete competed at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Academy in New Delhi. According to the police report, the coach requested a meeting with the teenager at a hotel in Surajkund, Faridabad, where he was staying, under the guise of providing a detailed performance analysis.
The details of the complaint paint a distressing picture of a young athlete’s trust being exploited. The family alleges that while the shooter was initially told to stay in the hotel lobby, she was later pressured into the coach’s room for what he described as a “more focused discussion.”
Once inside, the coach allegedly assaulted the minor despite her resistance. The FIR further claims that the coach used his position of power to silence the victim, threatening to end her promising career and harm her family if the incident was ever disclosed.
Legal FrameworkAnd Charges
Haryana Police have taken decisive action, booking the coach under stringent sections of the law. The FIR was registered on Tuesday at the Women’s Police Station in NIT Faridabad. The case has been lodged under Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, which deals with aggravated penetrative sexual assault and Section 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The athlete, who was left in a state of shock following the alleged encounter, eventually confided in her family, leading to the formal police complaint.
