Goa swimming coach arrested for raping teen training under him
On Friday, Goa Police arrested swimming coach Surajit Ganguly in New Delhi for raping a 15-year-old girl training under him. The incident came to light after a video of Ganguly sexually abusing the teenage swimmer went viral on social media. Ganguly, a coach with the Goa Swimming Association, had been untraceable since a case was registered against him on Thursday. Here are more details.
Ganguly was arrested from New Delhi's Kashmiri Gate, Superintendent of Police (North) Utkrisht Prasoon told PTI. According to the complaint, the sexual assault happened at the Mapusa center. After an FIR was registered, the North Goa District Police sprung into action to trace Ganguly using technical surveillance and local intelligence. Prasoon said that Ganguly was "traveling to different cities to evade arrest."
A case was registered against Ganguly under Section 376 (rape), 354 (molestation) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code along with offenses under the POCSO Act and Goa Children's Act, said Inspector Kapil Nayak at Mapusa police station.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, Ganguly was sacked by the Goa Swimming Association and was later banned by the Swimming Federation of India from all activities related to the sport. "Goa Swimming Association has terminated the contract of coach Surajit Ganguly. I'm asking the Swimming Federation of India to ensure that this coach is not employed anywhere in India," Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju tweeted on Thursday.
A stringent action will be taken through Sports Authority. Firstly, it's a heinous crime of serious nature so I'll urge the Police to take stringent penal action against the coach urgently. https://t.co/M4K9ffHST9
— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) September 4, 2019
I've taken a strong view of the incident. The Goa Swimming Association has terminated the contract of coach Surajit Ganguly. I'm asking the Swimming Federation of India to ensure that this coach is not employed anywhere in India. This applies to all Federations disciplines. https://t.co/q6H1ixZVsi
— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) September 5, 2019
According to News18, the girl's parents had noticed a dip in her performance when they accompanied her to Goa and also observed that she was avoiding the coach. Growing suspicious, the parents pressed her for answers and she narrated her ordeal to them. The family returned to West Bengal and the father approached the Rishra Police Station in Hoogly district to file a complaint.
However, the Rishra Police Station wouldn't file a complaint as the incident occurred in Goa. The girl then took to social media for justice. "He would touch me, threaten me, 'Don't tell your parents. You have a future,'" she is quoted as saying by NDTV. The girl's father then filed a complaint over email and an FIR was registered at the Mapusa police station.
