Have directed SAI to dispose pending sexual harassment complaints in 4 weeks: Rijiju

Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju on Friday said all pending complaints of sexual harassment at SAI institutes will be disposed off in the next four weeks to ensure a zero tolerance approach towards the menace.

Reacting to a report which claimed that 45 cases of sexual harassment were reported from 24 Sports Authority of India (SAI) institutes over the last 10 years in which little or no action was taken, the minister asserted that the body's institutes are, in general, safe spaces.

"There is zero tolerance for sexual harassment on SAI campuses. The inquiries that are underway will be speeded up. I have directed that all pending cases will be disposed within the next four weeks," Rijiju said in a statement, which did not reveal exactly how many cases are pending as of now.

"We will ensure that the already existing system of addressing sexual harassment cases and protecting our athletes, both boys and girls, is made more robust.

"Athletes spend their formative years at SAI centres and it is our foremost responsibility to give them safe environment in which to live and train," he added.

SAI has stated that it has a robust system in place to ensure that complaints of sexual harassment are dealt with strictly.