Haryana Female Coach Suspended After Filing Harassment Case Against Minister

The Haryana State Sports Department has taken the decision to suspend the woman junior athletics coach who leveled allegations of sexual misconduct against Sandeep Singh, a minister of state in the Haryana government and former captain of the Indian hockey team.

This situation unfolds after the coach filed a First Information Report (FIR) in December 2022 in the Union Territory of Chandigarh, accusing Singh of sexual misconduct. Despite the passage of time, she has reiterated her allegations.

Curiously, the suspension order does not explicitly state the reasons for the suspension. However, the coach firmly asserts that her refusal to strike a compromise and settle the case is the primary cause for her suspension.

Yashendra Singh, the director of the sports department, issued the suspension order on August 11. When contacted, Singh remained unavailable for comment regarding the department's sudden action after a span of seven months since the FIR was lodged against the minister.

The coach was reportedly handed her suspension order at her residence on a Monday evening, a day on which she had attended her office as usual.

Confirming her suspension, the coach indicated that significant pressure was being exerted on her to withdraw the case by agreeing to a compromise. She stressed her determination to resist these pressures, stating that the lack of communication regarding the grounds for her suspension only reinforces the perception that the government is using such tactics to coerce her into relenting.

Throughout the duration of her suspension, the order states that the junior coach will be entitled to a subsistence allowance as specified in Rule 83 of the Haryana Civil Services (General) Rules, 2016. Her designated post during this period will remain the office of the district sports officer in Panchkula, where she is currently posted.

Charges Against Minister By Coach

The incident in question led to the Chandigarh Police registering a case against Sandeep Singh on the night of December 31, 2022. The charges against him include sexual harassment, based on the coach's complaint.

Chandigarh was the jurisdiction where the purported incident occurred, and as such, the FIR was filed under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 354 (assault or criminal force against a woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354-A (sexual harassment), 354-B (assault or criminal force with intent to disrobe), 342 (wrongful confinement), and 506 (criminal intimidation).

In the wake of his booking, Singh was relieved of his responsibilities in the sports and youth affairs portfolio, though he retained control over the printing and stationery department. The minister has consistently denied the allegations, while the Haryana government's stance is that the investigation remains ongoing and that the mere registration of an FIR does not signify guilt.

Following the FIR, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted by the Chandigarh administration on January 1. This team, led by a woman Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, expanded the charges to include Section 509 of the IPC, which pertains to insulting the modesty of a woman.

The police have undertaken thorough investigative efforts, including recording the complainant's statements under section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), interviewing witnesses from the Haryana sports department and individuals working at the minister's residence, and questioning the accused extensively. Yet, the investigation has not yet reached its conclusion.

According to the complainant, her connection with the accused began through Instagram and Snapchat prior to her appointment as a Junior Athletics Coach in the Haryana Sports Department in September 2022.

As outlined in police records, the complainant has alleged that the accused requested meetings with her at his official residence in Chandigarh on March 2, 2022, and July 1, 2022, ostensibly to verify her job-related documents, during which he allegedly sexually assaulted her. She also claimed that the accused disrupted her training at Tau Devi Lal Panchkula and hindered her requests for overseas training opportunities.

Furthermore, she stated that the accused shared a confidential list of newly appointed junior coaches with her via Snapchat on May 13, 2022, seemingly as a means of building trust, even though the actual appointment letters were issued to her and others in September 2022, as indicated by police records.

In response to these accusations, the minister provided a written response to the police, asserting that "security guards/commandos" deployed with him were present when the complainant visited his office-cum-official residence.

He questioned the credibility of the accusations, highlighting the inconsistency that if the accused had misbehaved with the complainant during their first meeting, it was puzzling why she would voluntarily return to his office on the subsequent occasion alone.

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