NRAI suspends national coach Ankush Bhardwaj after minor accuses him of sexual harassment

A prominent member of India's shooting coaching staff, Ankush Bhardwaj, has been suspended by the national federation after a minor shooter accused him of sexually assaulting her during the National Championships last month.

NRAI (National Rifles Association of India) confirmed that an FIR has been filed against Bhardwaj in Faridabad. Bhardwaj, a resident of Mohali, has been booked under Section 6 of the POCSO Act (aggravated sexual assault) and Section 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (criminal intimidation).

"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.

Bhatia said NRAI had recommended Bhardwaj for a place in the 37-strong coaching team after the Paris Olympics in 2024. "It was on the recommendation of the NRAI that he was appointed by SAI as one of the coaches. It is a case of sexual harassment which happened in Surajkund," said Bhatia.

According to the FIR filed by the victim, she was targeted last month during the National Championships at the Karni Singh Range. The girl, who has been training with Bhardwaj since August last year, stated that she was left traumatised by the incident and spoke up in front of her mother on January 1 after being persistently probed.

In her FIR, the 17-year-old alleged that Bhardwaj used to call her for training at venues such as Mohali, Patiala, Dehradun and Delhi but she would always return home the same day. However, on the day of the incident, the victim said she went to the Karni Singh Range unaccompanied in a taxi to compete in the Nationals.

The girl said that when she was about to leave for home after finishing her competition, the coach asked her to stay back to analyse her performance. She stated in her complaint that the coach first requested her to meet him at the lobby of a hotel in the Surajkund area of Faridabad.

However, upon her arrival, he allegedly coerced her into coming up to his room, claiming a more focused discussion was required.

"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 some time, I said to sir that I wanted to go home, but he told me that he would crack my back," she said, referring to a physiotherapy technique of post-competition recovery.

"I immediately refused. Then sir forcibly made me lie face down and sexually assaulted me and when I opposed, he threatened me," the victim stated in the FIR.

"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 stated, adding that she eventually told her mother after she repeatedly asked her on noticing a change in her demeanour following the incident.

A senior police officer said that a probe is underway.

Bhardwaj, a former pistol shooter, had served a doping ban in 2010 for the use of a beta-blocker during his competitive days. Beta-blockers are banned for athletes engaged in disciplines like shooting, archery and billiards as they help reduce heart rate, muscle tremors and anxiety.