‘Made me lie face down, sexually assaulted me’: 5 big claims by athlete against national shooting coach

A national-level shooting coach has been booked by Haryana police and suspended by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) after he was accused of allegedly sexually assaulting a 17-year-old national-level shooter during a competition in Faridabad last month.

Police registered a first information report (FIR) against the accused under Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and Section 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita on Tuesday, as reported by HT earlier. The athlete, now 18, was a minor at the time of the incident, officials said.

Police further stated that the accused, one of the 13 national pistol coaches appointed by NRAI, has neither been detained nor issued a notice so far.

The incident allegedly took place on December 16, a day after the athlete competed in a national-level shooting competition at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Academy in New Delhi, the FIR seen by HT stated.

Yashpal Yadav, public relations officer of Faridabad police, said they have launched a probe into 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.

Yadav further stated that legal procedures are being carried out to obtain a medical examination of the athlete and her statement recorded before a judicial magistrate.

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 be taken on the basis of the probe.

2. Coach said he would 'crack her back': The complainant further alleged that after going to the coach's room on the third floor, the two discussed the match for some time. However, when she said that she wanted to go home, he "told me that he would crack my back", a physiotherapy technique meant for post-competition recovery. The athlete said that when she immediately refused, he forcibly made her "lie face down and sexually assaulted me".

3. Sexually assaulted despite resistance: The complainant further said that the coach allegedly sexually assaulted her despite her resistance. The athlete was left with so much trauma that she couldn't immediately report the matter to her family.

4. Threatened to ruin athlete's career: When the athlete opposed the sexual assault, the coach threatened her, the FIR states. She said, "He threatened me not to disclose the incident or else he would sabotage my professional career. I got really scared after the incident and did not tell anyone." The delay in reporting the incident was attributed to trauma, fear and the accused's alleged influence within the shooting fraternity, a senior police official familiar with the case was cited in a previous HT report. The athlete eventually told her mother after she was repeatedly asked about the change in her demeanor following the incident.

5. Similar behaviour in past: The senior police official cited above further stated that another woman shooter had allegedly faced similar inappropriate behaviour by the coach, adding that the athlete has not come forward with the matter family. The FIR, accessed by HT, also refers to an earlier incident during a training visit to Mohali in December. The coach had allegedly entered the accommodation used by women shooters and made them uncomfortable. Police said that these details would be examined to assess any pattern of the coach's behaviour.