Hotel Call For 'Analysis', A Forced Back Rub: Teen Narrates Coach's Assault

Ankush Bharadwaj, a Commonwealth Youth Games gold medallist, has been suspended as a national shooting coach after a 17-year-old shooter accused him of sexually assaulting her in a hotel room. Bharadwaj, who also runs a shooting academy, faces serious charges, including under the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The teenager has shared chilling details about the events inside the hotel room in her complaint to the police. She has alleged that Bharadwaj called her to a five-star hotel in Faridabad on the pretext of analysis and then sexually assaulted her. When the teenager resisted, the coach allegedly threatened to destroy her career if she spoke out.

Who Is Ankush Bharadwaj

Ankush Bharadwaj won gold in the 50-metre pistol shooting event in the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games. Two years later, the Sports Authority of India banned him for doping after he tested positive for beta blockers. Ankush had then said he had taken medicine for a mild headache and that he was not aware of its effect on the test result. He made a comeback in 2012 and went on to win medals at international contests. Bharadwaj is currently based in Mohali and runs the Salvo Shooting Range in Sector 86. The shooting academy has several branches. Bharadwaj is one of the 13 national pistol coaches appointed by the National Rifle Association of India. He is married to Anjum Moudgil, a two-time Olympian.

An Analysis Pretext, And A Hotel Call

The teen shooter has said in her complaint to police that her parents live in Noida and she is studying in Chandigarh. She has been training as a shooter since 2017 and started training under Bharadwaj last year. She has said she would visit several cities for shooting events. On December 16, she was in Delhi for a national-level shooting match at Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range. She was about to leave after the game when Bharadwaj called and asked her to wait at the range so that they could discuss her performance. Later, he called again and asked her to come to a five-star hotel in Faridabad. She was waiting in the lobby when he called her to his room.

Teen Shooter's Nightmare

The 17-year-old has said in her complaint that she was sitting on a chair when Bharadwaj offered to "crack her back". She refused, but he allegedly forced her to the bed and sexually assaulted her. The survivor resisted and pushed him back. Bharadwaj then threatened to destroy her career and asked her to "behave normally" around him. He then dropped her home. "I was scared, and I did not say anything to anyone... Ankush Bharadwaj Sir complained to my parents that I don't listen to him. My mother scolded me, and I could not sleep at night. When my mother asked me why I was stressed, I told her everything, and she brought me to the police station," she said in her complaint.

Bharadwaj has been charged under Section 6 of the POCSO Act, which deals with aggravated penetrative sexual assault, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita section relating to criminal intimidation. The National Rifle Association of India's secretary general, Pawan Singh, has said that Ankush has been suspended pending an inquiry.

Shooter's Family Reacts

The teenager's parents have said in a statement that the incident has left them "deeply traumatised". "Our daughter has been advised counselling and we are focused on taking care of her health at this time. As parents, we do not want anyone else to suffer the same fate. Ankush has been in a position to possibly commit such acts with others. We hope that also comes out in the investigation," they have said.

"For now, we are trusting the Haryana police to carry out their duties with utmost sincerity, as they have registered the FIR. We also hope the authorities in Punjab, where he lives and works, cooperate in the matter. This is what we have to say at this moment. We request privacy hereafter," they said.