Kaushik absolved of charges

Firoz Mirza, Hindustan Times

A Union sports ministry panel has absolved MK Kaushik, the then chief coach of the Indian women’s hockey team, of allegations of sexual harassment by a player, but found him guilty of using “inappropriate language”. India player Ranjitha Devi had complained to Hockey India (HI) in July last year that Kaushik had made sexual advances during the team’s camp at SAI centre, Bhopal, in the run-up to the Commonwealth Games. Ranjitha’s team-mates too supported her, triggering a nationwide outrage, which finally forced Kaushik to resign.

HI constituted a four-member committee to probe the allegations and subsequently referred the matter to Delhi Police.

Later, a five-member sexual harassment committee of the sports ministry also probed the charges.

The committee, comprising five senior women officers of the ministry and a woman member from an NGO, also co-opted a member from the Delhi Women’s Commission.

Injeti Srinivas, joint secretary, sports ministry, told HT that the, “committee’s report said the language used by Kaushik was inappropriate. The problem was more about behaviour than sexual misconduct.

“We have attempted to weed out this problem by including guidelines for prevention of sexual harassment of women in sports in the eighth schedule of the Sports Legislation 2011,” he added.

The report has been submitted to the ministry and also forwarded to the Haryana government.

Kaushik when contacted expressed ignorance about the report but conceded the allegations has made his life miserable.

“The girls were like my children. I do not want to punish them. I only want an apology,” he said.