Sandeep Singh resigns as Haryana Sports Minister after allegations

A junior coach has registered a complaint against the former Indian hockey player.

Sandeep Singh the sports minister of Haryana has resigned from his position after a sexual harassment case was filed against him at a Chandigarh police station by a female coach. He told ANI that the allegations are an attempt to spoil his image.

"There is an attempt to spoil my image. I hope there will be a thorough investigation into the false allegations levelled against me. I hand over the responsibility of the Sports department to the CM until the report of the investigation comes out," the former Indian dragflicker revealed. 

Addressing the media, the junior coach had alleged that Sandeep Singh, the sitting BJP MLA from Pehowa in Kurukshetra, had first seen her at a gym and then contacted her on Instagram. The coach claimed that the minister later kept insisting that they meet up. "He messaged me on Instagram and said my National Games certificate is pending and wanted to meet in this regard," she added. "Unfortunately, my certificate has been misplaced by my federation and I have been taking it up with the authorities concerned."

The former Olympian currently has been booked under IPC Section 354 which pertains to assault or use of criminal force against a woman with the intent to address her modesty.

Sandeep Singh during his playing days was the best dragflicker from India and represented the country 186 times from 2004 to 2012. In a career spanning eight years, Sandeep Singh has scored 138 goals and also has won several medals at the mega-events.

2010 Commonwealth Games - Silver

2010 Asian Games - Bronze

2009 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup - Gold

Sandeep Singh was seriously injured after being hit by an accidental gunshot in the Kalka Shatabdi train, while on his way to join the Indian national team for the world cup in Africa. He was only 20 years old when the incident occurred and was almost paralyzed and in a wheelchair for almost a year. 

Sandeep was elected as MLA in 2019 from the Pehowa constituency in Kurukshetra, Haryana. Under his leadership, Haryana successfully hosted the Khel India Youth Games held in June 2022. A biopic named Soorma was released depicting the life story of Sandeep Singh.