Swimming coach sacked after minor girl accuses him of molestation; booked for rape and criminal intimidation

New Delhi: A case of rape and criminal intimidation as well as for offences under the POCSO Act was registered against a swimming coach by Goa Police on Thursday. Surajit Ganguly, a coach employed with the Goa Swimming Association (GSA), is accused of molesting a 15- year-old girl who was training under him. A purported video of the incident went viral on social media, prompting Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju to promise stringent action. The GSA sacked the coach earlier Thursday. A case under IPC sections 376 (rape), 354 (molestation) and 506 (criminal intimidation), as well as under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and Goa Children’s Act was registered against Ganguly who is yet untraceable, said inspector Kapil Nayak of Mapusa police station in Goa. In a series of tweets, Rijiju had assured that strict action will be taken against Ganguly.

I've taken a strong view of the incident. The Goa Swimming Association has terminated the contract of coach Surajit Ganguly. I'm asking the Swimming Federation of India to ensure that this coach is not employed anywhere in India. This applies to all Federations & disciplines. https://t.co/q6H1ixZVsi

— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) September 5, 2019

“I’ve taken a strong view of the incident. The Goa Swimming Association has terminated the contract of coach Surajit Ganguly. I’m asking the Swimming Federation of India to ensure that this coach is not employed anywhere in India. This applies to all Federations & disciplines,” he Tweeted. “A stringent action will be taken through Sports Authority. Firstly, it’s a heinous crime of serious nature so I’ll urge the Police to take stringent penal action against the coach urgently.” The GSA confirmed that Ganguly’s contract has been terminated. “…we terminated Surajit’s contract immediately after watching the video. Both the girl and coach are from Bengal,” GSA Secretary Syed Abdul Majid told PTI. Ganguly was appointed by the GSA about two and a half years ago for its Mapusa facility. “We had appointed him because he had a good track record as a coach. There have been no prior complaints against him,” he added. In the year 2017, Goa Legislative Assembly had even moved a motion congratulating him along with other coaches for bringing “pride and glory to swimming and diving sports and to the state.” The West Bengal Police confirmed that the girl has lodged a complaint and the case is now being handled by their counterparts in Goa. “Based on the version given by the girl, we have lodged a formal complaint yesterday. But since the case falls under the Goa police jurisdiction, it has been transferred there. Goa police is probing it,” a police official said in Kolkata.