Punjab police wash hands off Sardar Singh's sexual harassment case
The Punjab police team who were investigating Indian captain Sardar Singh over alleged sexual harassment of a former England women's U-19 hockey player have closed their investigation on the case. The cops have reportedly concluded that the incident did not take place in their jurisdiction.
Indian hockey captain Sardar Singh had been accused of sexual and mental harassment by Ashpal Bhogal, who is a UK resident of Indian origin. The woman claimed that she has been engaged to the Indian skipper for the past four years and alleged that Sardar “mentally, physically and emotionally tortured” her. The woman, who also alleged that Sardar forced her to abort her child in 2015 against her wishes and later refused to marry her, had filed a written complaint against him with the Ludhiana police.
Sardar Singh and his lawyer Sumit Jain had, however, refuted these allegations as baseless, and now the Punjab Police has acquitted him of these charges as well. According to the Indian Express, Ashpal Bhogal has been informed by the Punjab police that they cannot take action against Sardar Singh since the incident did not take place in their jurisdiction. They have asked her to file a complaint with the Haryana Police, who have jurisdiction over Hisar and Panchkula, where the incident allegedly took place.