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According to a report in the Indian Express, the cyclist emailed her grievance to the Sports Authority of India, sharing the subtleties of her horrible experience.
She said she was told about sharing a solitary space to coach Sharma in Slovenia only several days prior to leaving for the camp. It was coach Sharma himself, who informed the cyclist leaving her in a condition of ‘extreme confusion’.
She asserted she needed to take help from the psychologist after confronting outrageous panic and finding it hard to rest. After arriving in Slovenia, the cyclist’s request for a different room was first excused leaving her with no choice except for to impart a space to the coach before she figured out how to help a different space for her through the assistance of her group’s care staff and a senior authority at SAI.
“I was scheduled to leave for the cycling training camp in Slovenia for the date 15th May 2022 to 14th June 2022. After all the logistical arrangements were made, to my sheer surprise and shock, three days before my scheduled travel date, I received a call from my coach Mr R K Sharma telling me that I have to share the room at Hotel Balnea in Slovenia with him alone,” the complaint states, as per Indian Express.
“Since I had to catch the flight to Slovenia in a couple of days, I was left with almost no time to process the information provided to me by the coach. In my state of extreme confusion and anxiousness on losing the opportunity to train abroad and attend the camp, I thought I would reach Slovenia and try to request for alternate arrangements.”
“Subsequently, my request for a separate/different room was not paid heed to. I had no option but to be in the coach’s room, which was also originally designated to me. This is also shown in the hotel records,” she added.
She further revealed coach Sharma said her that he will eliminate her from cycling NCOE and that he will ensure she needs to sell vegetables back home after her profession is obliterated.
“He regularly kept making threatening comments with regard to my career and told me that I will be removed from the cycling NCOE and he will make sure that I sell vegetables on the road. I continue to not have any words to describe the extreme mental agony, shock and fear that I continue to feel till this very moment,” she said in her complaint to SAI.
“However, the worst was yet to come… On the 29th of May 2022, the coach returned from Germany early in the morning at approximately 7 am. I heard a knock on my door. Upon opening the door, I found, much to my horror, the coach physically forcing himself into my room. He then proceeded to lay on the bed. When I requested him to leave, he forcefully tried pulling me towards him and asked me to come and sleep with him,” the cyclist stated in her complaint.”
“Also, he offered remarks, for example, — I ought to act like his significant other as he is very attached to me and maintains that me should be his better half. This occurrence spiraled me into a condition of shock and frenzy. Right now, I was very terrified for my security, prosperity, and life. I continually mentioned him and begged him to leave my room and came up with the rationalization that I was getting late for preparing and needed to prepare,” she added.
“In addition, he made comments such as — I should behave like his wife as he is extremely fond of me and wants me to be his wife. This incident spiralled me into a state of shock and panic. At this point, I was extremely scared for my safety, well-being, and life. I constantly requested him and pleaded with him to leave my room and made the excuse that I was getting late for training and had to get ready,” she added.
It was after this occurrence that the cyclist revealed the episode to the psychologist, who helped her in returning to India. SAI had made a brief move after the grumbling became visible and had taken her back to India ‘safely’. The SAI has likewise set up a committee to probe the matter and has guaranteed the cyclist that justice will be given to her.
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