Police helping Sardar Singh, alleges UK woman

Mohit Khanna

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 14

The under-19 Indian origin hockey player of England who lodged a complaint against national captain Sardar Singh alleging sexual harassment at Koomkalan police station said the police were working under political pressure.

The woman fears that she may not get justice from the the special investigation team (SIT) and demanded that the probe should be conducted by an IPS officer. She added that police was deliberately delaying the investigation in order to help Sardar Singh.

“It has been five days since I have recorded my statement and gave all the evidence to support my case. However, I have not received any call from the police to inform me about the progress in the case. They want me to run out of patience and return,” said the complainant.

ADCP Satbir Singh Atwal, who is heading the three-member committee, said she appeared before the SIT and endorsed all allegations which she had written to SHO Koomkalan on February 1. She repeated that she was engaged to Sardar.

“Not only physically, I have been emotionally abused. I was made to observe Karva Chauth for his (Sardar’s) long life. Now he is saying that I was just a friend. If I was just a friend then why he took me to his village in Sirsa and introduced me as his fiancée to his relatives? If I am a UK citizen then it does not mean that I could be taken for a ride,” she said. She said she met Sardar in 2012 and few months after he became the captain of Indian Hockey team.

“I got pregnant but forced to abort. After abusing me for all these years he (Sardar) is stating that I was just an acquaintance,” said the woman. After their engagement, the duo also visited the Gurudwara Bhaini Sahib in Ludhiana to take obeisance, stated the woman.

Sardar refuted all allegations made by her against him. He said he had friendship with the UK woman but no sexual relations. He also said he had never made any promise of marrying her. ADCP Satvir Singh Atwal said that Sardar had personally appeared before the SIT and recorded his statement. The investigation was in progress and probe team was inquiring into all the allegations.