Empowered committee looking into rape allegations against sports officer: CRPF DG

NEW DELHI: The CRPF has set up an "empowered" committee headed by a woman IG to probe allegations of sexual harassment and rape made by a 30-year-old constable against its chief sports officer and Arjuna awardee Khajan Singh and coach Surjit Singh, the force chief said on Thursday.

CRPF Director General Anand Prakash Maheshwari told reporters that all due legal processes will be followed and anyone found guilty will be punished based on the recommendations of the committee.

"We have set up an empowered committee headed by Inspector General of Srinagar sector Charu Sinha. that committee is highly empowered. No one can intervene in the proceedings of that committee."

"The woman has filed an FIR with the Delhi Police and the investigation will be done by them. What is the fact we do not know. We will follow the due legal process as stipulated by the Supreme Court in such instances and whosoever is guilty will be punished. It will be taken to its logical conclusion," Maheshwari said.

The DG said that the woman constable has not "come to us with any complaint that she has any threat to herself".

"I can assure you that CRPF provides a very cogent environment to our women warriors," he said.

The DG added that it has not come to his notice that any woman personnel has quit her job in the force "because of Khajan Singh".

The woman who filed an FIR in December is stated to have retracted her allegations, as per official sources.

The sources had said in December that the woman had recorded her statement before the magistrate under CrPC section 164 where she retracted her allegations against the two CRPF sports officers.

In the FIR registered at the Baba Haridas police station on December 3, the complainant, who had joined the force in 2010, alleged that the two accused sexually harassed women constables and later used them as "their accomplices" as she levelled charges of rape against the two.

Khajan Singh, a DIG-rank officer in the force, had won a silver medal at the 1986 Seoul Asian Games in the 200m butterfly event which was India's first medal in swimming at the event since the 1951 edition.

Khajan Singh had denied the allegations and told PTI that these charges were "absolutely false and this was done just to spoil his image".

The Central Reserve Police Force first inducted women in combat ranks in 1986 and it has six all-female battalions at present with an overall strength of about 8,000 personnel in them.

It also has women personnel in sports and other administrative wings.