Haryana Sports Minister Sandeep Singh has stepped down from his sports portfolio after a sexual harassment and criminal intimidation case was filed against him by a junior athletics coach. The complaint was registered with the Chandigarh police on Friday. Singh handed over his responsibilities to the Chief Minister, stating that the allegations were false and aimed at tarnishing his image.
“There is an attempt to ruin my reputation. I trust a thorough investigation will reveal the truth behind these false claims. Until then, I have transferred the sports department duties to the Chief Minister,” Singh said.
The complainant, a female coach, accused Singh of harassing her between February and November last year. She claimed that Singh sent her inappropriate messages on social media, touched her inappropriately, and threatened her, eventually forcing her to quit social media to escape the harassment.
The coach addressed the media at a press conference organized by the opposition party, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), which has demanded Singh’s immediate dismissal and called for a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the allegations.
The woman alleged that Singh first contacted her on Instagram after seeing her at a gym, telling her that her national games certificate was pending and offering to help. She explained that her certificate had been misplaced by her federation, so she agreed to meet him at his residence-cum-camp office with other documents. She further alleged that during the meeting, Singh engaged in inappropriate behavior.
Sandeep Singh, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Pehowa in Kurukshetra, is a former professional field hockey player and captain of the Indian national hockey team. A biopic titled Soorma was released in 2018, chronicling Singh’s life, with actor and singer Diljit Dosanjh playing his role.
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