A Faridabad court has rejected the anticipatory bail plea of national shooting coach Ankush Bhardwaj in a case involving the alleged sexual assault of a minor shooter, tightening the legal noose around an accused who remains absconding even as police search teams fan out across states.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Abhishek Phutela turned down Bhardwaj’s plea on Friday, days after the Faridabad police registered an FIR against him based on a complaint filed by a 17-year-old national-level shooter.
The case has brought renewed focus on athlete safety, power dynamics within competitive sport, and the gaps that still persist in grievance redressal mechanisms.
According to the police, Bhardwaj, a national shooting coach, was booked on January 6 at the women’s police station in NIT Faridabad.
The FIR invokes Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Section 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Following the registration of the case, the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) suspended the coach.
The complaint traces the alleged offence to December 16, 2025, when the minor was participating in a national-level shooting event at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Ranges in south Delhi.
The victim stated that she first came in contact with Bhardwaj in August 2025, when he was associated with the Indian shooting team as a coach.
In her statement to the police, the shooter alleged that Bhardwaj asked her to meet him at the lobby of a hotel in the Surajkund area of Faridabad, saying he wanted to analyse her match performance.
When she reached the hotel, he allegedly insisted that they move the discussion to his room, claiming it would allow for a more focused interaction. She has accused him of sexually assaulting her there.
The minor further told the police that after the incident, the coach allegedly threatened her with consequences if she spoke out.
According to her complaint, she was warned that her sporting career would be sabotaged and that harm would come to her family if she disclosed what had happened. The fear, she said, kept her silent for several days.
It was only on January 6 that she finally spoke to her mother about the alleged assault. Her mother then accompanied her to the police station, leading to the registration of the FIR.
Police officials say the delay in reporting has been explained in the complaint itself, citing fear and intimidation.
Bhardwaj, a resident of Mohali in Punjab, has not been traced since the case was registered. Faridabad police said they have constituted three special teams to locate and arrest him, but he has so far evaded arrest.
“The anticipatory bail of the accused Ankush Bhardwaj has been rejected by the court. Our teams are on job and hope the accused will be arrested soon,” a senior police officer of Faridabad police said.