The Goa Police on Friday arrested a swimming coach accused of raping a 15-year-old girl who was training with him, PTI reported. Surajit Ganguly had been missing since a case was filed against him on Thursday.
Ganguly faces charges of rape and criminal intimidation as well as charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. The case was filed after a video of him molesting the 15-year-old was widely shared on social media, which also attracted Union minister Kiren Rijiju’s attention.
Ganguly was sacked by the Goa Swimming Association on Thursday, and banned by the Swimming Federation of India on Friday.
Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju had promised to take strict action against the coach after the incident was brought to his attention on social media. “I’ve taken a strong view of the incident,” the minister had tweeted on Thursday. “The Goa Swimming Association has terminated the contract of coach Surajit Ganguly. I’m asking the Swimming Federation of India to ensure that this coach is not employed anywhere in India. This applies to all Federations & disciplines.”
The Goa Legislative Assembly, in 2017, had passed a resolution congratulating Ganguly and a few other coaches for their performance in the 63rd National Games.
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