Gurugram: Chandigarh Police Sunday booked Haryana Sports Minister and former India hockey captain Sandeep Singh for stalking, illegal confinement, sexual harassment, and criminal intimidation.
Singh announced he was stepping aside from the sports ministry until investigations are complete, although he will still remain minister for printing and stationery.
The development came on the basis of a complaint by a woman athletics coach, who accused Singh of inviting him to her home and engaging in sexual misconduct.
Singh was booked under sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354-A (sexual harassment and punishment for sexual harassment), 354-B (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe), 342 (wrongful confinement) and 506 (criminal intimidation).
The UT Police have also set up a special investigation team to probe the case.
Singh, meanwhile, has denied the allegations as “baseless”, claiming that they were meant to sully his reputation.
The development comes three days after the woman accused Singh of sexual harassment during a press conference held at the residence of Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader Abhay Singh Chautala.
Born in the small town of Shahbad 35-year-old Singh, was selected for the Indian national hockey team in 2004. However, a freak bullet injury, incurred in an accidental firing while travelling in the Kalka Shatabadi train in August 2006, threatened to end his career when he was just 20 years old.
Singh, however, returned to the team, earning the sobriquet of ‘Flicker Singh’, because of his specialisation in the drag flick manoeuvre in hockey. He went on to captain the Indian hockey team and became the deputy superintendent of police, Haryana, before winning the 2019 Haryana assembly election from Pehowa and taking charge as sports minister of the state at the age of 33.
In 2018, Sony Pictures Network produced a biopic Soorma, based on Singh’s life, where actor Diljit Dosanjh played him, while Taapsee Pannu essayed the role of his love interest, Harpreet Kaur. In real life, Singh’s wife is former hockey player Harjinder Kaur.
Singh heavily relied on his hockey background and the biopic while campaigning for the 2019 elections, so much so that the title track of the film was repeatedly played on loudspeaker from a vehicle accompanying him.
On Sunday, the woman met Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij at his Ambala residence.
Addressing the media after the meeting, Vij said: “I have listened to her complaint. I’ll speak to the CM, and we’ll ensure that justice is delivered”.
The accusations against Singh have meanwhile stirred a political storm, with the leader of opposition in the Haryana assembly, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, demanding an impartial inquiry in the allegations, in a press conference at Rohtak Friday.
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Journey from hockey to politics
Born in a lower middle-class family at Shahbad, Kurukshetra, Singh’s first hockey coach was Kartar Singh.
Shahbad has been the birthing place of many well-known hockey players, especially women hockey players. Rani Rampal, former captain of the national women’s team and players like Ritu Rani, Navneet Kaur, Navjot Kaur, Suman Bala, Sandeep Kaur, Rajni Bala and Surinder Kaur, are all from Shahbad.
Sandeep Singh’s elder brother, Bikramjit Singh, also played field hockey.
Singh made his international debut in January 2004, in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Kuala Lumpur. However, he was seriously injured in 2006, after being hit by a stray bullet in an accidental firing in the Kalka Shatabdi Express train, while on his way to join the national team, which was due to leave for the World Cup in Africa in two days.
He was partially paralyzed and in a wheelchair for one year, but eventually returned to the team and even played World Cup for India in 2010.
He took over as the captain of the Indian hockey team in January 2009 and under him, the Indian team managed to clinch the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in 2009 after defeating Malaysia in the finals at Ipoh. This was India’s first win at this tournament in 13 years. He remained captain till just before the World Cup in 2010.
Singh was the top goal scorer, with his world-best speed drag flick of 145 km per hour, winning the sobriquet of ‘Flicker Singh’.
In July 2009, Sandeep Singh was appointed as a DSP in Haryana Police, under the state government’s policy to offer police posts to medal-winning sportspeople.
In October 2019, Singh resigned from the post, after the BJP offered him a ticket to contest the assembly elections from Pehowa assembly segment.
He went on to defeat Mandeep Singh Chatha, son of veteran Congress leader and former Haryana Speaker H.S. Chatha, and was inducted as Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs (MoS) and Minister of Printing and Stationery (MoS) (Independent Charge) in Manohar Lal Khattar’s government.
(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)
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