Sardar Singh rubbishes assault allegations
Sardar Singh, India's hockey team captain, spoke out against the sexual harassment charges slapped on him by a female hockey player. He claimed that he knew the woman "but it's wrong to say that I have assaulted her. I am sad to hear about such a thing." He said that his focus was on Rio Olympics and that he will seek legal help.
Who is Sardar Singh?
Sardara Singh who is known as Sardar Singh is an Indian hockey player and the current captain of the Indian national team. He plays the centre-half position. Leading the Indian team in the 2008 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, Sardar Singh became "the youngest player to captain the Indian team". In 2015, he was honoured with the fourth highest civilian award - the Padma Shri.
International hockey player slaps harassment charges on Singh
An Indian-origin international hockey player alleged in a written complaint to Ludhiana police that Sardar Singh had inflicted mental, physical and emotional 'torture' on her. She claimed to have been engaged to him for 4 years. She also wrote that Singh had "forced her to abort their child last year against her wishes". The police said that it had begun investigating the matter.
Who is Ashpal Bhogal?
According to reports, Ashpal Bhogal, the player allegedly assaulted was "born in England and became the first British Asian woman to represent England in 2010 as part of junior women's hockey team and plays in the Investec Women's Premier League for Beeston club".
More allegations on Singh
The woman with Sirsa roots, contended that she had met Singh during the London Olympics and got engaged soon after. She said that after forcing her to abort the child he had been ignoring her and had refused to marry her. She claimed that during the World Hockey League in Antwerp (2015) she'd called police at India's team hotel when Sardar had assaulted her.
HI official supports Singh; calls allegations 'blackmail'
A Hockey India (HI) official has spoken in support of Sardar Singh. The HI source said that the complainant had been stalking Singh and this was noted by other coaches, be it "Roelant [Oltmans], [Terry] Walsh or [Paul} van Ass. She was at times also told to leave the team hotel." Furthermore, he said that abortion allegation was a mere attempt to "blackmail".
