The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) suspended a National shooting coach, Ankush Bharadwaj, following allegations of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old athlete. Notably, Bharadwaj was booked by the Haryana Police after a national-level female athlete filed a complaint against Ankush, accusing him of sexually assaulting her at a hotel in Surajkand, Faridabad.
As per the information available in the FIR (First Information Report), the incident happened during the shooting nationals at the Karni Sena Shooting range, located in New Delhi.
The governing body of the sport, NRAI, suspended the accused coach, after the allegations of sexual assault got levelled against him.
Who is Ankush Bharadwaj?
Ankush Bharadwaj began his journey as a shooter in an NCC (National Cadet Corps) camp in 2005. Hailing from Ambala originally, renowned Indian shooting coach Jaspal Rana's younger brother, Subhash Rana, trained him at the Jaspal Rana Institute of Shooting and Sports in Dehradun. A Commonwealth Youth Games medallist in 2008, Bharadwaj claimed three gold medals at the All-India GV Mavalankar Shooting competition, held in Agra in 2007.
Ankush Bharadwaj began his journey as a shooter in an NCC (National Cadet Corps) camp in 2005. Hailing from Ambala originally, renowned Indian shooting coach Jaspal Rana's younger brother, Subhash Rana, trained him at the Jaspal Rana Institute of Shooting and Sports in Dehradun. A Commonwealth Youth Games medallist in 2008, Bharadwaj claimed three gold medals at the All-India GV Mavalankar Shooting competition, held in Agra in 2007.
Banned By SAI For Using Substance Abuse
It is not the first time for the national level coach Bharadwaj when it comes to controversies. As a player, he was banned by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) for using a prohibited substance during a junior competition in Suhl, Germany in 2010. The substance helps a shooter to control their heartbeat, which helps them to keep their arm steady during a competition.
After serving his ban, Bharadwaj made a comeback to the sport in 2012, as he contributed to India's gold in a 25m centre-fire pistol team event in the International Shooting Competition in 2016.
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Operating out of Mohali, Bharadwaj runs a Salvo Shooting Range in Sector 86. Bhardwaj is married to a two‑time Olympian and Commonwealth Games silver medallist, Anjum Moudgil.
As per the mother of the victim, a similar incident allegedly happened with another female athlete.