Lucknow, Feb 17 (IANS) A railway official entrusted with the charge of the Indian athletics team has been accused of sexually harassing well-known national sprinter Priyanka Panwar, who won a gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
In the FIR registered by Priyanka’s father Shiv Kumar Panwar, the official Anu Singh has been accused of attempting to outrage the modesty of the 24-year-old athlete.
In a complaint earlier made to Muzaffarnagar district magistrate Santosh Kumar Yadav, the father had stated: ‘Anu Singh has been repeatedly indulging in acts aimed at insulting my daughter; we kept quiet for sometime in the hope that he would start behaving; but Singh remained persistent with his objectionable behaviour.’
When contacted, Yadav confirmed receiving the complaint. ‘It was on the basis of the complaint that I got the FIR registered. Further action would follow after preliminary investigations are completed,’ he told IANS over telephone from Muzaffarnagar.
According to Yadav: ‘The railway official has been claiming in his defence that he was being framed.’
Meanwhile, in a counter-complaint made by Singh’s lawyer, Priyanka and her family have been accused of cooking up false charges against him only with a view to pressuring the team official to get Priyanka’s younger brother Arun Panwar into the Uttar Pradesh juniors 200-metre sprint team. Arun was earlier rejected by Singh, who was among the state selectors.
