Sexual harassment case: SIT contradicts claims by Haryana Minister Sandeep Singh

The over 700-page chargesheet was filed based on the junior athletic coach’s accusations of sexual harassment against the minister. According to it, the complainant affirmed  her stand in a statement before a judicial magistrate. About the delay in filing the FIR, the SIT said in the chargesheet, “As for the delay in registering the FIR, there was a 6-month gap between the lodging of the complaint and the immediate provocation, which appeared to be her transfer from Panchkula to district Jhajjar, and the minister’s refusal to reverse this decision.”

The chargesheet says that during the “identification of scene of the crime, the victim was able to identify the main office (at his official residence here), the attached side room, as well as the bedroom and attached bathroom and all the connecting passageways, which clearly shows that victim had visited the said rooms, while accused has cited that she only visited his main office cabin”. It adds, “The victim’s presence at the scene of the crime on March 2, 2022, and July 1, 2022, has been affirmed by her ride details as provided by Uber, which shows that the victim was present at the scene of the crime for over an hour, rather than 15 minutes as claimed by the accused. Further, it is contrary to the accused’s claims that the victim had only visited his main office and not the attached cabin or the bedroom.”

The SIT said Singh could not explain why he allowed the woman to meet him late evening after the official meeting hours. The chargesheet said several witnesses had corroborated the complainant’s allegations of sexual harassment. Data retrieved by the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), chats, and voice or call recordings revealed that the woman had told some people about the sexual harassment.

“The CFSL reports regarding the examination of victim’s mobile phones indicate that the minister and the victim were in regular touch with each other and their relationship was beyond professional interaction. However, the accused, during his examination completely denied having any personal relation with her, contrary to the evidence gathered. Some of the witnesses have also mentioned that there was a close relationship between the minister and the victim … Moreover, the accused has lied about even knowing that the screenshots of this chat (between the complainant and one of her close friends) were sent to him by the victim, which shows that he is not being honest during the investigation,”

The SIT, however, was unable to substantiate certain allegations that the woman made. These unproven allegations include an alleged additional sexual assault attempt by the minister on March 2, 2022, and the sharing of a list of junior coaches selected by the state government that included her name. This was claimed to be an attempt to obtain sexual favours from her.

“No witness testified to the incident of March 2, 2022, which was narrated by the victim subsequently after the lodging of the FIR,” reads the chargesheet.

It also says, “The woman … had alleged to police that the accused tried to gain her trust by offering her assistance in her appointment as a junior coach in Haryana Sports department in lieu of sexual gratification. For this, she submitted a screenshot of a confidential list, which she claimed was sent to her by the accused. However, from CFSL examination of her phone, a recovered screenshot shows this list was with IPS Pankaj Nain’s mobile number showcased on top of it, which shows that this list may have been shared with her by Pankaj Nain, IPS, then Director Sports, Government of Haryana.”