New Delhi: The Chandigarh Police on Saturday said that it will conduct inquiry into the allegations levelled against Haryana Sports Minister Sandeep Singh for sexual harassment and that all aspects would be looked into, reported news agency PTI. A junior athletics coach from the state had made the allegation on Thursday and approached police with a complaint the next day.
The minister has however denied the charge as baseless and has called for an independent probe.
"The complaint has been filed and an inquiry will be conducted into all aspects," said an official of the police station where the complaint of the woman, a coach in the Haryana sports department, has been marked.
The Minister said that he would also lodge a complaint against the coach for tarnishing his image.
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"Complaint has been received from Sandeep Singh, Minister of State, Sports and Youth Affairs, Haryana...", according to an order issued by Haryana Director General of Police P K Agrawal, who has formed a committee headed by Additional Director General of Police, Rohtak Range, Mamta Singh.
The "allegations in this regard are also circulating on social and electronic media", the order stated.
The inquiry committee comprises Deputy Commissioner of Police, Panchkula, Sumer Pratap Singh, and Assistant Commissioner of Police, Panchkula, Raj Kumar Kaushik, as its members.
On Friday, the woman told the reporters she submitted a complaint against Singh to the SSP in Chandigarh. I am hopeful that I will get justice and the Chandigarh Police will investigate my complaint." She alleged that Sandeep Singh, a former hockey captain, had first seen her at a gym and then contacted her on Instagram.
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She claimed that the MLA from Kurukshetra’s Pehowa kept insisting that they meet. "He messaged me on Instagram and said my national games certificate is pending and wanted to meet in this regard," she said.
"Unfortunately, my certificate has been misplaced by my federation and I have been taking it up with authorities concerned," the woman said.
She said that she had agreed to meet him at his residence-cum-camp office here with some other documents she had. When she went there, the minister indulged in sexual misconduct, the woman said.
"He then took me to a side cabin of his residence... He placed my documents on the side table and placed his hand on my foot. He said when he saw me for the first time, he liked me... He said you keep me happy and I will keep you happy," the woman alleged.
"I removed his hand...he even tore my T-shirt. I was crying and I raised an alarm for help and though all his staff was there, no one helped me," she alleged.
While former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has demanded an impartial inquiry into the allegations levelled by the woman, the Indian National Lok Dal has demanded that the Manohar Lal Khattar government immediately sack Sandeep Singh and set up a Special Investigation Team to probe the matter.