As per the victim’s complaint, she was being harassed by the Haryana sports minister on social media for the past 11 months.
Chandigarh,UPDATED: Jan 1, 2023 18:39 IST
Sandeep Singh has dubbed the allegations as baseless. (File photo: PTI)
By Manjeet Sehgal: As the Chandigarh Police on Sunday registered a sexual harassment case against Haryana Sports Minister Sandeep Singh and continued the investigation, it was found that the victim was being harassed by the minister on social media for the past 11 months, according to the complaint.
After the sports minister was booked, he handed over his portfolio to Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and dismissed the allegations, terming them to be “an attempt to spoil his image”.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT COMPLAINT
Meanwhile, India Today got access to the complaint filed by the victim with police. In her complaint, the junior coach had alleged that Sandeep Singh, a BJP MLA from Pehowa in Kurukshetra, had first seen her at a gym and then contacted her on Instagram. The coach claimed that the minister later kept insisting that they meet up.
Since February, the minister was harassing her on social media by texting her to meet up, she claimed.
The minister made a Snapchat call to the victim on July 1, 2022, and asked her to come to his residence for document verification.
As per the details mentioned in the complaint, she met him at his official residence located at Sector 7 in Chandigarh, where he allegedly attempted to rape her. When she tried to get rid of him, her t-shirt was also torn off. She, however, managed to escape as the doors were not locked.
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“He touched my thighs and said he liked me. He also asked me not to run here and there and said that he would get me sponsored and also help me get my Instagram account verified if I made him happy,” the victim stated.
The junior coach also said that the minister tried to kiss her forcefully but she pushed him away. In addition, she stated that the sports minister had told her that other girls (players) never said no to him.
The junior coach alleged that the sports minister contacted her on Instagram and was allegedly using vanish mode, which automatically deleted the conversation that took place between her and the minister.
The victim, while speaking to India Today TV, said that she had also brought the matter to the notice of the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), DGP and the home minister but no action was taken.
SANDEEP SINGH GIVES UP PORTFOLIO
The sports minister, Sandeep Singh, is facing arrest as he was booked under section 354B of the IPC. Further investigation by the police is underway.
Meanwhile, the minister has handed over his portfolio to the chief minister and dismissed the allegations as an attempt to ‘spoil his image’.
“There is an attempt to spoil my image. I hope there will be a thorough investigation into the false allegations levelled against me. I hand over the responsibility of the sports department to the Chief Minister until the report of the investigation comes out,” he said.
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