Kiren Rijiju promises strict action against accused molester Surajit Ganguly
Sports minister Kiren Rjijiu has promised, in a series of tweets, that strict action would be taken swimming coach Surajit Ganguly, who was accused of molesting a 15-year-old. The once-celebrated coach saw his contract immediately terminated after the video went viral on social media.
It was back in 2017 that the Goa Legislative Assembly had decided to move a motion in order to congratulate Ganguly along with other coaches for bringing "pride and glory to swimming and diving sports and to the state." The swimmer was appointed for GSA’s Mapusa facility about two and a half years ago.
The video, which has gone viral on social media, saw the swimming coach molesting a minor girl who was training under him. Social media was quick to demand strict action against the coach to the Sports Minister, who promised the same.
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. https://t.co/q6H1ixZVsi
— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) September 5, 2019
The West Bengal Police has confirmed that the girl has lodged a complaint against the coach with the case being handled by WB police’s counterparts in Goa. "Based on the version given by the girl, we have lodged a formal complaint yesterday. But since the case falls under the Goa police jurisdiction, it has been transferred there. Goa police is probing it," a police official said in Kolkata, reported PTI.
The GSA confirmed that Ganguly's contract has been terminated, "...we terminated Surajit's contract immediately after watching the video. Both the girl and coach are from Bengal. We had appointed him because he had a good track record as a coach. There have been no prior complaints against him," GSA Secretary Syed Abdul Majid said.