The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) has suspended a national-level shooting coach after Haryana Police registered a criminal case against him for allegedly sexually assaulting a 17-year-old athlete during an official competition-related stay in Faridabad last month.
Confirming the action, NRAI Secretary General Pawan Kumar Singh stated that the coach has been relieved of all responsibilities with immediate effect and will not receive any new assignments until the inquiry is completed. The federation has also initiated an internal investigation following the registration of a first information report (FIR).
According to the police, the FIR was lodged on Tuesday at the Women’s Police Station in NIT Faridabad. The coach has been booked under Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Section 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Authorities confirmed that the athlete was a minor at the time of the alleged incident.
As per the complaint filed by the athlete’s family, the incident occurred on December 16, shortly after she competed in a national-level shooting event at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Academy in New Delhi. The coach allegedly asked the athlete to meet him at a hotel in Surajkund, Faridabad, where he was staying, to review her performance.
The complaint states that while the athlete was initially asked to wait in the hotel lobby, she was later persuaded to go to the coach’s room under the pretext of a more detailed discussion. Inside the room, the coach allegedly sexually assaulted her despite her resistance. The FIR further alleges that the coach threatened to damage her sporting career and harm her family if she spoke about the incident.
Police said the athlete left the hotel in a distressed state and later disclosed the incident to her family, who then approached law enforcement authorities.
Investigations are ongoing, and officials have stated that appropriate legal and institutional action will follow based on the findings.
