Faridabad, Jan 9 (PTI) Two teams of the crime unit and the women police station are conducting raids to nab shooting coaching staff, Ankush Bhardwaj, who has been accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old shooter during the National Championships, police said.
A dedicated police team is camping in Mohali, a senior officer said. Bharadwaj has been absconding since the allegations surfaced.
“Three teams are on the job. The accused is absconding now. The teams are conducting raids and the accused will be arrested soon,” said Yashpal Yadav, spokesperson of Faridabad Police.
Taking cognisance of the alleged sexual assault, the Haryana State Women Commission has written to the police commissioner, seeking a detailed report on the matter, police said on Friday.
Commission chairman Renu Bhatia, in her letter sent on Thursday, said the case should be investigated by a dedicated police officer as the matter was extremely sensitive.
“In this connection, you are requested to kindly appoint a dedicated police officer to look into the matter pertaining to FIR No. 0003 dated 06.01.2026, registered at Women Police Station, NIT Faridabad. Further, you are also requested to direct the officer to submit the latest status report to this Commission,” the letter read.
The matter may be treated as most urgent and compliance ensured within the stipulated time, it added.
Faridabad Police has booked Bharadwaj over allegations of sexually harassing the national-level shooter in Faridabad. An FIR was registered at the women’s police station, NIT, Faridabad, on January 6. The coach was subsequently suspended by the national federation, the National Rifles Association of India (NRAI).
According to the complaint, the incident took place on December 16 last year during the National Championships at the Karni Singh Range.
The girl, who has been training with Bhardwaj since August last year.
The victim said in her complaint that the coach initially requested her to meet him in the hotel lobby to analyse her performance. When she arrived, she was allegedly coerced into going to his room, where the sexual assault occurred, police said.
She added that the coach threatened to sabotage her career and harm her family if she spoke about the incident. She kept mum for many days, and finally, on January 6, she told her mother, who rushed her to the police station, according to the FIR.
An FIR has been registered against Bhardwaj, who is from Mohali in Punjab, under Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Section 351(2) (criminal intimidation) of the BNS. PTI COR SKY SKY
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