Mob Thrashes Coach for Alleged Sexual Harassment of Athletes

Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh: An athletics coach was beaten up for alleged sexual harassment of national level female athletes in Madhya Pradesh, by a group of protesters outside the railway police station in Ratlam.

Two athletes, Anjali and Ritika, have accused the athletics coach of a railway school in Ratlam, Amanat Khan, of alleged sexual harassment and violence during a national level athletics meet in Vishakhapatnam earlier this month. 

A student of class tenth, Anjali Rathore said, "At around 7pm in the train, one boy came close to us, I asked him to stay away. On seeing this, our coach came and said that we are talking to boys and hit us. He also tried to come close to us and used obscene language."

"We were on the opposite berth and were talking to each other. The coach thought we were talking to some boys in the train. He hit us and abused us," said Ritika Srivastava, who is studying in class nine.

When the train reached Ratlam the next day on Wednesday, the athletes complained to their families, who in turn lodged a complaint with the Government Railway Police (GRP) station against the coach, Mr Khan and four others.

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Mr Khan is also the president of the state athletics association. When he reached the station, he was beaten up by a group of protesters who had gathered there, and had to be rescued by the police.

The officer in-charge of the station, Raj Singh said, "The girls have complained that the coach hit them and tried to molest them in the train near Raipur."

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The police have arrested four of the five accused, while one is on the run.