Thiruvananthapuram: A female player complained that she was sexually assaulted by a handball coach. A female handball player has come forward with a complaint against the handball coach who recently retired from the state sports council. The girl’s allegation is that she was sexually assaulted at a hotel when she went to Kochi for a competition and was threatened not to reveal it. The female player told Mathrubhumi.com that she has lodged a complaint with the Sports Council, the Women’s Commission and the Women’s Cell of the police.
The incident took place in April last year. The complainant alleges that the coach molested her in the hotel room while she was in Kochi for a match. The complainant describes the incident as follows:-
The team stayed in a hotel in Kochi. The trainer had told him to come to the room to get the night’s food that day. Accordingly another girl and I went to the trainer’s room to take food. When we reached the room, we were told that it was raining and that the food would be delayed. He then prepared to go back but told me to stay in the room. The girl who had come with him was sent away from the room saying that there was something to discuss about the next day’s match.
When the girl went back, I sat in the room. He then talked all about the next day’s match. After that, when I asked if I could go back, I was told that the food would come now and I could leave after that. Meanwhile, the power went out. With this, he said that it is enough for the electricity to come and go and till then he can sit in the room.
He then grabbed my shoulder. When he moved his hand away, he tried to grab both shoulders again. He had injured his shoulder earlier and was asked about it later. He asked if there was any pain. He replied that there is no problem now.
Then he asked if he was afraid of being alone and took another chair and sat near him. When I said that I was going, the current came and I was told to go and not to walk down in the dark. Then held my hand. Then I threw it away and asked why I was holding it in my hand. This spread to other parts of the body. No one knows what happens now. Just don’t tell anyone, he can change my life. He said that he can even play in the Indian team.
With that, he was running out of the room saying that I don’t want to play, then he came after me and held me back. The girl said, “Don’t tell anyone about this and you will know what will happen if it gets out.”
On the night of the incident, he could neither eat nor sleep. Because of fear, he did not tell anyone about the incident that day. Then the next day he told this to a friend who is an athlete. The complainant also alleges that after realizing that she had disclosed the incident at the hotel to some people, the coach later tortured her mentally.
The mental torture was during training on the ground. He tried to isolate himself by saying many things to others. Meanwhile, the complainant also alleged that the coach had approached him saying that he would give him another chance in the national team. Later, after revealing the incident to some other female stars, it was realized that many of them had faced similar harassment. The complainant said that this is why she decided to file a complaint against the coach and since he is no longer a part of the team, she came back to Thiruvananthapuram and became a part of the team.
The first complaint was made to the Sports Council last month. Then a complaint was lodged with the Women’s Commission and the Women’s Cell of the Police. The statement was recorded in the women’s cell the other day. The complainant said that she was afraid because the accused trainer and his brother were influential and had connections with gangsters.
Meanwhile, the coach’s response was that the girl’s complaint was fabricated. The coach told Mathrubhumi.com that behind the complaint are moves by some people to remove him from the office of the handball association and that he has given a statement to Women’s Cell about the incident.