Haryana Sports Minister Sandeep Singh booked for molesting woman coach
Chandigarh (PTI): Haryana Sports Minister Sandeep Singh has been booked on charges of sexual harassment and wrongful confinement at the complaint of a woman coach, police here said on Sunday.
The FIR against the 36-year-old BJP leader, who is also a former Indian hockey team captain and a first-time MLA, was registered on Saturday, they said.
The minister, however, has dismissed the accusations as baseless and has called for an independent probe.
"In the matter of complaint made by a lady coach of Haryana against Sports Minister Haryana, a case FIR dated 31.12.2022 under Sections 354, 354A, 354B, 342, 506 of the IPC has been registered at Police Station Sector 26, Chandigarh and is being investigated," a police spokesperson said.
A junior athletics coach from the state had on Thursday come up with allegations of sexual harassment against the minister and filed a police complaint a day later.
The former Olympian has been booked under IPC Section 354 which pertains to assault or use of criminal force against a woman with intent to outrage her modesty, 354 A (sexual harassment), 354 B (compelling her to be naked), 342 (wrongful confinement), and 506 (criminal intimidation).
After receiving a complaint from the woman coach, Chandigarh Police had earlier said an inquiry will be conducted into the allegations against the minister.
The woman had told reporters on Friday: "I have given a complaint to SSP madam (Senior Superintendent of Police) here. I am hopeful that I will get justice and the Chandigarh Police will investigate my complaint."
She has alleged that Sandeep Singh had first seen her at a gym and then contacted her on Instagram.
The coach claimed that the MLA from Pehowa in Kurukshetra kept insisting that they meet. "He messaged me on Instagram and said my national games certificate is pending and wanted to meet in this regard."
"Unfortunately, my certificate has been misplaced by my federation and I have been taking it up with the authorities concerned," the woman had said.
She, according to her complaint, agreed to meet Sandeep Singh at his residence-cum-camp office here with some other documents she had. When she went there, the minister molested her, she said.
"He took me to a side cabin of his residence... placed my documents on the side table and placed his hand on my foot. He said when he saw me for the first time, he liked me... He said you keep me happy and I will keep you happy," the woman alleged.
"I removed his hand he even tore my T-shirt. I was crying and I raised an alarm for help and though all his staff was there, no one helped me," she had alleged.
Asked about the allegations, Sandeep Singh had on Thursday called them baseless and called for an independent probe. "I want an independent probe. We will also get it probed because my image has been tarnished."
The minister also said that all details of the woman's entire life should be looked into.
Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had earlier demanded an impartial inquiry into the allegations, while the Indian National Lok Dal asked the Manohar Lal Khattar government to immediately sack Sandeep Singh and set up a Special Investigation Team to probe the matter.
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Dakshina Kannada district administration gears up for monsoon season
Mangaluru (PTI): The Dakshina Kannada district administration has got down to work ahead of the monsoon season (June to August) by beginning preparations to tackle various rain-related issues.
At a meeting held on Tuesday, the district authorities, Deputy Commissioner Mullai Muhilan MP reached out to the ground-level bureaucracy with directions on how to handle the challenges during the monsoon season.
Addressing the drinking water and disaster management authority officials, he highlighted the problems faced due to poor maintenance of the electrical system under Mangaluru Electric Supply Company (MESCOM) and said it was not just failure of power supply during rains but also snapping of live cables and falling electric poles which were a concern.
Since this would cause serious damage to life and property, he urged MESCOM to take precautions by carrying out inspections.
Muhilan also directed MESCOM to deploy additional men and open more control rooms across the district during the monsoon season and said both urban and rural areas must be given equal importance.
Muhilan said in the run-up to the monsoons, the existing domestic water availability should be managed prudently.
At the meeting, emphasis was laid on cleaning of dumping yards and garbage disposal areas before the monsoon.
The health department was asked to take precautionary measures against the spread of infectious diseases such as dengue and malaria during the rainy season.
He said that the National Highway should list areas where landslides occur in Charmadi Ghat areas and information should be made available to people about traffic related issues in ghat areas.
The district Deputy Commissioner instructed the Fisheries Department to hold a meeting on precautionary measures for fishermen during the rainy season.
