5 trainees of Chandigarh tennis academy booked for sexual harassment

Five trainees of the Chandigarh Academy of Rural Tennis (CHART) that runs under the aegis of Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association (CLTA) have been booked for sexually harassing and stalking a fellow female trainee.

The names of accused are being withheld as they are minors.

Meanwhile, the 16-year-old girl’s parents plan to move the Punjab and Haryana high court against the Chandigarh Police’s alleged failure to take action against the CLTA senior management, who too were named in the complaint.

The case was registered on the complaint of the girl’s father, who accused the five male trainees of misbehaving with her and harassing her at the CLTA complex in Sector 10.

“The father complained that the boys stalked the girl after practice sessions and matches over a period of two months. They allegedly touched her inappropriately as well,” said a police official privy to the matter.

The five have been booked under Sections 354 (sexual harassment), 354A (making sexually coloured remarks), 354D (stalking) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code besides under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act 2012 at the Sector 3 police station.

In his complaint submitted in the last week of July, the victim’s father had also levelled allegations against the CLTA senior management, accusing them of shielding the boys.

“My daughter was subjugated to character assassination by senior officials of CLTA, who instead of helping a young victim of sexual abuse, issued threats of finishing off her career in tennis,” he alleged.

The FIR accessed by HT states that CLTA president Jai Singh Gill “called my daughter in his chamber” where chief operating officer Meghraj and chief coach Romen Singh “threatened her not to pursue the complaint against the boys” as ₹4 crore grant received for the CHART programme was the association’s main source of income.   

However, the three are not named as accused in the FIR.

“We smell a rat here as the management of CLTA is in hands of senior retired bureaucrats and there are senior serving police officials also on their committees. We will knock on the HC doors for justice and inclusion of names of senior CLTA management in the FIR,” said the father.

Denying the allegation, CLTA president Jai Singh Gill said: “I met the girl and her father in May this year, when they had made a separate complaint. After we took action, the complaint was withdrawn by the father. That was my last and only interaction with both of them.”

Meghraj refrained from commenting, stating that he knew a case was registered, but had not gone through the FIR.

Meanwhile, following a complaint by one of the five accused, police have also registered a case against the girl’s father for allegedly thrashing and threatening him.

“Outraged over the entire episode, the girl’s father allegedly slapped the 15-year-old boy on the CLTA premises in July this year,” said an investigating official, adding that after verifying the facts and the boy’s medical examination, a case was registered.

The girl’s father has been booked under Sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.

UT senior superintendent of police (SSP) Nilambari Jagadale said: “All allegations are being verified. Further action will be taken after thorough checking of facts.”