Accused of rape below the stringent POCSO act, Arjuna award-winning Indian hockey participant Varun Kumar has withdrawn from the FIH Pro League in Bhubaneswar to discover his authorized choices towards the allegation, which he described as a “calculated attempt to extort money” from him.
Hockey Olympian Varun Kumar (File)(HT_PRINT)
The 28-year-old has been granted “urgent leave” from nationwide responsibility by Hockey India after he acknowledged that the incident has taken a toll on his “physical and mental health”.
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Varun has been booked by the Bengaluru Police after a girl accused the defender of sexually abusing her a number of occasions when she was a minor.
The 22-year-old, in her criticism filed on Monday, stated that she got here in touch with Varun in 2018 by way of Instagram, and the participant raped her on a number of events promising her of marriage when she was 17.
In a letter to Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey, which is in possession of PTI, Varun claimed that the criticism towards him is fake and a misuse of the “state machinery”.
“Through media reports I got to know that a false and frivolous case has been filed against me by a girl with whom I was in a relationship previously and the said case has been culminated into an FIR in Bangalore though I have not been contacted by any police official in this regard,” Varun’s letter, despatched on Wednesday to Tirkey, learn.
“The aforesaid case is nothing but a calculated attempt to extort money out of me and to tarnish my reputation and image as I’m an accomplished hockey player having played for India and being an Arjuna Awardee and she knows that such a case could hamper my career and image.”
Varun, who was with the Indian crew in Bhubaneswar for the Pro League matches,stated he’ll battle the allegations legally.
“…in order to avail my legal remedies and legal rights I would require urgent leave from the academy and furthermore given the circumstances, I will unfortunately not be in a position to participate in the Pro League,” Varun wrote.
“This incident has taken a toll on my physical and mental health and this is a very tough time for me and my family…being a sportsperson I have always been taught to fight till the very end and therefore I request your support in these difficult times,” he added.
Besides Tirkey, the letter has additionally been despatched to males’s crew chief coach Craig Fulton and HI secretary basic Bholanath Singh.
In her FIR, the lady has alleged that Varun insisted on assembly her after they received in contact on Instagram in 2018 and he or she relented after a few of his associates satisfied her. The two finally grew to become associates and received right into a relationship.
According the lady, he took her to a resort in Bengaluru’s Jayanagar in July 2019 and made bodily relations along with her regardless of being conscious that she was a minor and her resistance.
According to HI sources, the sufferer was a volleyball participant on the National Centre of Excellence in SAI, Bengaluru and the connection between the 2 began there.
However, she is now not an athlete and is presently working as an air hostess.
The girl has alleged that Varun stopped responding to her calls and messages after her father died final yr. According to her FIR, Varun paid her a go to after the tragedy however started distancing himself after that.
She stated that Varun resumed communication along with her when she approached the police on a earlier event. However, he went incommunicado when she endured on the subject of marriage.
He then threatened to add her images on social media if she exerted stress on him.
Varun hails from Himachal Pradesh, and made his debut for India in 2017. He was promoted as a DSP in Punjab Police. He was bestowed the Arjuna award in 2021 and was part of the 2022 Commonwealth Games silver-winning crew.
Source: www.hindustantimes.com
