Two sport officials, coach arrested for molesting kho-kho players

Two officials of Chhattisgarh Kho-Kho Association and a coach were arrested for allegedly molesting female players, including minors, of the association's state team at Bhilai in Durg district, police said on Thursday.

According to the victims, the association's general secretary S Raju, treasurer Jagbandhu Jena and coach Murli Reddy called them to their room and allegedly molested them and made indecent advances, Bhilai City Superintendent of Police Veerendra Sathpathy told.

The trio were nabbed after a case was registered against them based on the complaint of 11 girls, including six minors, on Wednesday night.

The accused on Thursday were produced before a local court which sent them in judicial remand for 15 days, the SP said.

The alleged offence occurred during the national camp for junior and senior kho-kho players which was underway in sector-4 of Bhilai from January 9 when the women players, including the victims, were staying at the Bhilai Steel Plant hostel in the same area.

The victims, all natives of villages from Durg, Rajnandgaon, Balod and Bemetara districts, most of them from SC/ST categories, were earlier reluctant to come forward but later they collectively decided to lodge a complaint in this regard, he said.

The girls alleged that the accused asked them to change their clothes in front of them and also touched them inappropriately, Sathpathy said.

A senior player in the camp told that Jena allegedly tried to show her obscene videos on his phone on the pretext of showing visuals of kho-kho for training purpose.

However, S Raju refuted the charges while speaking to reporters, saying that the complainants were like his children and he cannot indulge in such shameful things.

The association authorities were not available for comments, despite attempts to contact them.