False case filed to extort money says hockey Olympian Varun booked on rape charges
Hockey player Varun Kumar, who was recently booked on charges of rape, has claimed that the complaint against him is false and frivolous. He alleges that the case is an attempt to extort money and tarnish his reputation. Varun has requested urgent leave from the camp and expressed his inability to participate in the upcoming Pro-League matches.
Four days after Arjuna Awardee hockey player Varun Kumar was booked on the charges of rape following the complaint by a 21-year-old girl in Bengaluru, the Olympian alleged that the complaint was false and frivolous and misuse of the state machinery to hamper his career and image.
In a letter to Hockey India president Dilip Turkey, Varun stated: “Through media reports, I got to know that a false and frivolous case has been filed against me by a girl with whom I was in a relationship previously and the said case has been culminated into an FIR in Bangalore though I have not been contacted by any police official in this regard. The girl came from a family having well-connected links in the police.”
Varun’s letter to the Hockey India chief comes after it emerged that on February 5, Bengaluru police have registered the case under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 376 (rape) and 420 (cheating) and other POCSO sections on the complaint of 21-year-old woman, who accused the hockey player of exploiting her physically for five years on the pretext of the marriage before allegedly snapping ties with her.
In the FIR, the complainant, who hails from Hyderabad, said she came in contact with Varun, in 2018 through Instagram. She said Varun was training at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre in Bengaluru when she met him.
According to the woman, Varun took her to a hotel in Bengaluru’s Jayanagar in July 2019 and had physical relations with her despite being aware that she was a minor. “She accused him of getting physical with her on several occasions over the five-year-long relationship she shared with him on the pretext of marriage,” the FIR stated.
However, in his letter to Hockey India chief, Varun Kumar stated that the complainant is misusing the state machinery to extort money out of him.
“The aforesaid case is nothing but a calculated attempt to extort money and to tarnish my reputation and image as I’m an accomplished hockey player having played for India and being an Arjuna Awardee. She knows that such a case could hamper my career and image,” said Varun, who was part of the Indian team slated to participate in the Hockey Pro-League matches starting Friday.
In order to avail his legal remedies, Varun had asked the Hockey India president to sanction him urgent leave from the camp and showed his inability to participate in the Pro League.
“This incident has taken a toll on my physical and mental health and this is a very tough time for me and my family. Being a sportsperson, I have always been taught to fight till the very end, and therefore, I request your support in these difficult times,” he added.
Varun hails from Himachal Pradesh and made his debut for India in 2017. He was promoted to a DSP in the Punjab Police. He was bestowed the Arjuna award in 2021 and was a part of the 2022 Commonwealth Games silver-winning team.
