Stringent action will be taken against anyone found guilty of sexual harassment, in the wake of a lady shooter alleging that her team members harassed her recently, the sports ministry reiterated Sunday.
A lady shooter, selected to participate for a trap event in the international junior shooting competition at Suhl, Germany earlier this month, had complained to the sports ministry June 10 accusing two of her team members of making sexual and derogatory comments.
"The ministry of youth affairs and sports remains committed to ensuring that sports in India remains free of any form of sexual harassment and reiterates that stringent action shall be taken against anyone who is found to be guilty of such practices which are abhorrent to the spirit of sports," said a ministry statement.
The sports ministry had asked the director general of Sports Authority of India (SAI) Jiji Thomson the same day to get an immediate report from the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) and to initiate firm disciplinary action against the two shooters if the complaint was found to be true.
Thomson had referred the matter to NRAI June 11. The NRAI then referred the complaint to chairman of the six-member athletes committee Moraad Ali Khan and asked for a report on the matter within 15 days. The NRAI report is still awaited.
Pending the receipt of the committee's report, the two accused have been suspended by NRAI for one competition in view of the team manager's report that they had violated the instructions of the manager regarding the team's conduct during the event.