Chandigarh, May 21 (IANS) A fast-track special Prevention of Children from Sexual Offence (POCSO) court has sentenced national archery coach Kuldeep Vedwan to five years of rigorous imprisonment in a sexual harassment case involving a minor woman national-level archer.

The court on Wednesday convicted the coach under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and imposed a fine of Rs 15,000.

Additional Sessions Judge Narendra Singh pronounced the sentence after the court held the accused guilty on May 15. After the conviction, Vedwan was taken into custody. The case was registered in August 2023 at a police station in Sonipat district.

According to the prosecution, Vedwan, a resident of Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh, allegedly attempted to sexually harass the junior player at a youth archery championship in Sonipat in 2023.

The archer in her complaint said she had travelled to Sonipat to participate in Youth Championship trials conducted at a Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre. She was training at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board Katra Stadium, where the accused’s foundation was involved in coaching operations.

The victim, who was 17 at the time of crime, was staying in a hotel for the selection trials.

On April 7, 2023, the accused entered the victim’s room, made obscene advances and tried to force himself on her.

She struggled for 15-20 minutes before managing to escape the room and went to another player’s room. Investigators said the accused later apologised to her, saying it could ruin his career and life.

He also asked her to stay in his room, promising to make her a big player, said the probe. The complainant narrated the incident to her family only after her selection in the Asia Cup in Singapore.

–IANS

vg/dan