Puducherry: Cricket Coach Booked Under POCSO For Molesting Teen Girl

Cricket coach molests girl: A senior cricketer and sports coach was booked Wednesday, along with four others, for allegedly molesting a minor teen girl, as per reports. The survivor is a cricket aspirant and a trainee for the junior women's cricket team. The accused are linked to the Cricket Association of Puducherry (CAP), governing body for the sport in the union territory.

Charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) have been applied.

According to New Indian Express, CAP coach Thamaraikannan allegedly molested the teen on the training grounds of a government school in Puducherry. She accused him of touching her chest and other body parts inappropriately despite her resistance.

The time of the crime is unclear but reports suggest it occurred in the period that the CAP grounds were caught in controversy over allegations of illegal construction last year raised by then Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry Kiran Bedi.

Cricket Coach Molests Girl: Puducherry Teen Accuses Seniors Of Inaction

The complainant further claimed she brought the issue up with more than one CAP member but they failed to take action against Thamaraikannan. The four booked, besides Thamaraikannan, are all representatives of CAP.

Failing inaction on the part of CAP authorities, the minor survivor reportedly forwarded her complaint to a child helpline following which the Mettupalayam police probed the matter.

The girl claims Thamaraikannan confessed he loved her. Later, upon learning that she was hoping to lodge a complaint against him, he allegedly visited her with his wife, appealing to her to not take action, Times of India reports. She went ahead with her complaint anyway.

A representative for CAP, as quoted by TOI, has refuted the complainant's allegations of management inaction saying her mother accused Thamaraikannan of misconduct.

Earlier this year in June, another case, of sexual assault, had rocked Puducherry involving a teen girl who later succumbed to her injuries. The accused was identified as a relative of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader. More on the case.

Trending now:

&t=4s