Did India’s national shooting coach sexually assault a teen shooter?

Sexual assault allegations against national shooting coach, Ankush Bharadwaj, have shocked India’s sporting community. He has been suspended by the national federation after a minor shooter accused him of raping her at a hotel in Haryana’s Faridabad.

Bharadwaj, a Commonwealth Games gold medallist, is facing serious charges, including under the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The Haryana Police said they are investigating the matter.

We take a look.

What are the allegations?

A 17-year-old national-level shooter has accused a key member of India’s shooting coaching staff, Ankush Bharadwaj, of sexually assaulting her last month.

As per the FIR registered on January 6 in Faridabad, the minor said the alleged incident took place on December 16, after she participated in a national competition. The teen said that she has been training as a shooter since 2017.

The minor began training under the accused last August, sources told Indian Express.

She said that she was in Delhi for a national-level shooting competition at Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range on December 16. The shooter alleged that the coach asked her to wait to discuss her performance after the event ended.

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He called her again, allegedly asking her to come to a five-star hotel in the Surajkund area in Faridabad, reported NDTV. The complainant said she waited in the lobby of the hotel, analysing her match. However, Bharadwaj called her to his third-floor room on the pretext of holding a detailed discussion.

According to the complaint, the shooter was sitting on a chair when Bharadwaj offered to “crack her back”, a reference to a physiotherapy technique of post-competition recovery.

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“The coach asked me to come to the elevator area. After that, when I went to the elevator area, coach sir told me that he had booked a room here, so come to my room. I will discuss the match with you there.

“He took me to a room on the third floor, and discussed the match. After sometime, I said to sir that I wanted to go home, but he told me that he would crack my back,” the complainant said, as per PTI.

The minor said she refused, but the accused forced her to “lie face down and sexually assaulted me and when I opposed, he threatened me”.

The coach allegedly threatened to destroy her career and asked her to “behave normally” around him. “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,” she said in the FIR.

The complainant said that Bharadwaj then dropped her near her vehicle around 4 pm.
“I was scared, and I did not say anything to anyone… Ankush Bharadwaj Sir complained to my parents that I don’t listen to him. My mother scolded me, and I could not sleep at night,” the shooter alleged.

Traumatised by the incident, the minor did not inform anyone, while the accused continued communicating with her and her parents about training.

The teenager subsequently confided in her mother after she repeatedly asked her what the matter was, on noticing changes in her demeanour. After this, the shooter’s mother accompanied her to file the complaint after meeting senior police officers on January 6.

A case was then registered. The coach has been booked under section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, which pertains to aggravated penetrative sexual assault, and section 351(2) of the BNS, which concerns criminal intimidation.

A Faridabad police spokesperson told Indian Express that a probe is underway, with authorities obtaining CCTV footage from the hotel and recording witness statements.

The teenager’s parents have addressed the incident, saying it has left them “deeply traumatised”. “Our daughter has been advised counselling and we are focused on taking care of her health at this time. As parents, we do not want anyone else to suffer the same fate. Ankush has been in a position to possibly commit such acts with others. We hope that also comes out in the investigation,” they said, as per NDTV. 

“For now, we are trusting the Haryana police to carry out their duties with utmost sincerity, as they have registered the FIR. We also hope the authorities in Punjab, where he lives and works, cooperate in the matter. This is what we have to say at this moment. We request privacy hereafter,” they added.

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Accused suspended by NRAI

The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) has suspended Bharadwaj pending an inquiry.
“NRAI has suspended him and we will issue a show-cause notice,” NRAI secretary Rajiv Bhatia told PTI.

“He has been suspended on moral grounds. Now, he has to prove himself innocent. Till the inquiry is not completed, he will not be associated with any coaching activity,” he added.

NRAI Secretary General Pawan Singh said the association is yet to receive an official complaint on the matter. “We got the FIR copy through the media, and on that basis, we have suspended the coach and have issued a showcase notice to the coach for his explanation. Our Internal Complaints Committee has been apprised of the issue, and we have told them to take due action. About the alleged incident happening at a private hotel, such incidents, if found true, are wrong and the NRAI is very strict on such kind of incidents,” he told India Express.

“We educate shooters regarding the athletes’ and coaches’ rights under the POSCO Act, and last year, NRAI conducted classes with the shooters and coaches, and they also form part of the terms and conditions of shooters and coaches that come under NRAI. The coach has not replied yet. It is a shocking development, and we are waiting for all the legalities to be done by the concerned authorities,” said Singh.

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Who is Ankush Bharadwaj?

Ankush Bharadwaj is a former pistol shooter. He won gold in the 50-metre pistol shooting event in the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games.

In 2010, he was banned by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) for doping after he tested positive for beta-blockers.

Beta-blockers, which help reduce heart rate, muscle tremors, and anxiety, are banned for athletes involved in shooting, archery and billiards.

Bharadwaj made a comeback in 2012, going on to win medals for India at international contests.

He currently runs a shooting academy in Punjab’s Mohali, where he is based. He is one of the 13 national pistol coaches appointed by the NRAI. Bharadwaj is married to two-time Olympian Anjum Moudgil.

With inputs from agencies