Olympian rower Dattu Bhokanal booked after wife claims he harassed her physically and mentally

Nashik: India’s only rower to compete at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Dattu Baban Bhokanal, has been booked for allegedly harassing his wife physically and mentally between 22 December, 2017 and 3 March this year, a Nashik police official said on Friday.

Bhokanal’s wife, who is a police constable with Nashik Rural police, had lodged a complaint on Thursday night following which a case was registered under sections 498 A (husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code, an official said.

Bhokanal, a rower with the Army, is a resident of Talegaon in Chandvad tehsil of Nashik, he said.

“According to the complaint, he married the woman as per Hindu rituals and had promised her two times that he would marry her in a proper and public manner only to backtrack,” the official said.

He said the complaint was being probed and no arrest has been made so far.

Bhokanal was the only rower to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics, and also won gold in the 2018 Asian Games in Men’s Quadruple Sculls.