Rape case filed against coach employed by Goa swimming body

A case of rape and criminal intimidation was registered against a swimming coach by Goa Police on Thursday.

Surajit Ganguly, a coach employed by the Goa Swimming Association (GSA), is accused of molesting a 15-year-old girl who was training under him.

He was believed to have left for Bhopal, and police would be sending a team there to track him down, said inspector Kapil Nayak of Mapusa police station in Goa.

A purported video of the incident went viral on social media earlier, prompting Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju to promise a stringent action.

A case under IPC sections 376 (rape), 354 (molestation) and 506 (criminal intimidation), as well as under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and Goa Children's Act was registered against Ganguly, who is yet untraceable, said inspector Nayak.

The GSA sacked Ganguly after the video surfaced.

"...we terminated Surajit's contract immediately after watching the video. Both the girl and coach are from (West) Bengal," GSA secretary Syed Abdul Majid told PTI.

Ganguly was appointed by the GSA about two and a half years ago at its Mapusa indoor swimming training facility.

"We appointed him because he had a good track record as a coach. There were no prior complaints (of misbehaviour) against him," Majid added.

In 2017, the Goa Legislative Assembly had passed a resolution congratulating him and other coaches for bringing "pride and glory to swimming and diving sports and to the state" in the 63rd National Games.

On Wednesday, based on the girl's statement, Kolkata Police lodged a complaint against Ganguly, and transferred it to Goa Police.

Union minister Rijiju said he had asked the Swimming Federation of India to ensure that Ganguly was not employed anywhere in India.

"I've taken a strong view of the incident. The Goa Swimming Association has terminated the contract of coach Surajit Ganguly. I'm asking the Swimming Federation of India to ensure that this coach is not employed anywhere in India. This applies to all Federations & disciplines," he tweeted.