National coach suspended over sexual assault charges by 17 yr shooter

National shooting coach Ankush Bharadwaj has been suspended from duty after Haryana Police booked him for allegedly sexually assaulting a 17-year-old national-level female shooter at a hotel in Faridabad.An FIR was registered on Tuesday and an investigation has been initiated. According to the police complaint, the alleged incident occurred during a national-level shooting competition held at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi. The victim alleged that Bharadwaj invited her to a hotel room in Faridabad on the pretext of assessing her performance, where he allegedly assaulted her.The FIR further stated that the coach allegedly threatened the minor with dire consequences, including ruining her career and harming her family, if she disclosed the incident.The shooter reportedly left the hotel in a state of shock and later informed her family, following which a formal complaint was lodged with the police.
According to information, a case has been registered at the Women’s Police Station, NIT Faridabad, under Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Section 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.“Considering the seriousness of the matter, the hotel management has been directed to immediately provide CCTV footage from the day of the incident to help corroborate the allegations made by the minor,” a senior Faridabad police official said.Bharadwaj is one of the 13 national pistol coaches appointed by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI). Confirming the action taken, NRAI secretary general Pawan Kumar Singh said the federation came to know about the matter through media reports and has suspended Bharadwaj from all duties pending the outcome of the inquiry. He added that the coach will not be assigned any new responsibilities during the investigation.