The Goa Police on Thursday booked the state's chief swimming coach Surajit Ganguly on charges of rape and molestation. Ganguly was earlier sacked by the Swimming Federation of India (SFI) after a video and photographs of him allegedly molesting a minor girl, who is a national level swimmer, surfaced online.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Gajanan Prabhudessai, in-charge of the Mapusa sub-division, confirmed the registration of an FIR under Sections 461, 354, 376 and 506 (ii) of the Indian Penal Code, Section 8 of the Goa Children's Act and Sections 6 and 8 of POCSO Act.
The Kolkata Police are also investigating the case as both the victim as well as the accused hail from West Bengal. Late on Wednesday, filmmaker Vinod Kapri uploaded grabs of the video and tagged Sports Minister Kiren Rijuju, seeking action against Ganguly.
Rijiju tweeted in response: "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."
Rijiju further directed the SFI to ensure that the "coach is not employed anywhere in India". "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 and disciplines," Rijiju tweeted. Surajit Ganguly could not be contacted for his response despite several attempts.
