Zero tolerance for sexual misconduct: NRAI Chief on case involving national coach

Indian shooting federation chief Kalikesh Singh Deo said the body has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual abuse and will fully cooperate with law enforcement investigating national coach Ankush Bhardwaj’s allegation of sexual assault against an underage shooter.

Gun coach Mr. Bhardwaj, a resident of Mohali, was booked for grievous sexual assault under Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act and for criminal intimidation under Section 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

The FIR was registered by a 17-year-old shooter in Faridabad. Police said two teams from the crime unit and women’s police station conducted a raid to nab the accused.

“This is a very sensitive issue and we at NRAI (National Rifle Association of India) attach great importance and focus to ensuring a safe workplace and a safe performance environment for athletes,” Mr. Deo said. ‘PTI Videos’.

According to the FIR, the junior bowler, who has been training under Bhardwaj since August last year, alleged that his coach assaulted him in a hotel room during the National Championship last month.

The victim alleged that Mr Bhardwaj threatened to sabotage his shooting career and harm his family if he spoke about the incident. But she finally confided in it to her mother earlier this month, which led to an FIR.

Mr. Deo said that as soon as the federation became aware of the case, it took immediate action and suspended the coach.

“However, since the matter has been directly reported to the police, the investigation will be conducted by the police and NRAI is fully committed to cooperate with the investigation as and when required by the investigating authorities,” he said.

The NRAI president reiterated that the federation has institutional mechanisms under the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) Act.

“We have an Internal Complaints Committee appointed under the POSH Act and we also have an external female member as part of this committee,” he said.

“If the matter had been reported to us, we would have immediately brought the matter under investigation by the ICC in accordance with the POSH Act.” Mr. Deo, however, clarified that once a criminal complaint is registered, internal committees cannot conduct a parallel investigation.

“If the person is guilty, then he will be punished according to the laws of that country.” Responding to questions on whether there were previous warning signs regarding Mr. Bhardwaj or other coaches, Mr. Deo maintained that this was the first sexual harassment complaint received against the coach.

“During the four or five years I have been working at NRAI, one such case has been brought to our notice before and that too at the state federation level,” he said.

He added that the federation has laid down strict codes of conduct for both coaches and bowlers.

“All athletes, coaches and officials are required to sign a standard operating procedure on how to behave, what is acceptable and what is not,” Mr. Deo said.

“In this SOP, we specifically prohibit coaches from taking athletes into rooms. All interaction between athletes and coaches or officials must take place either at the range, in public areas or, if the range is not available for any reason, within a reasonable time and in public areas to prevent such incidents and allegations from occurring.” he added.

Emphasizing the need for athlete awareness, Mr Deo said the federation would do more to ensure young shooters raise their voices.

“These are young athletes and sometimes they may be afraid to speak out publicly or by approaching the authorities for fear of punishment,” he said.

“They need to fully understand what their rights are and know that they can approach the NRAI or the Internal Complaints Committee or the external member of the POSH committee without fear and report such incidents immediately,” he added.

“Only then can stringent measures be taken and such incidents can be prevented in the future.” Mr Deo said the federation was trying to closely monitor the functioning of national coaches.

Explaining the process of appointing coaches, Mr. Deo said the selections were made based on the recommendations of an advisory committee comprising former bowlers and experts.

“Coaches are selected based on the recommendations of an advisory committee constituted by the NRAI, which may comprise former bowlers. They are primarily evaluated on their batting proficiency,” he said.

Touching briefly on the Indian Shooting League, Mr. Deo said that despite initial commercial challenges, it remains an important long-term project.

It was published – 13 January 2026 18:07 IST