Defender Varun Kumar has sought permission to withdraw from the FIH Pro League following the police complaint against him in Bengaluru.
The India player, who was with the national team here till a day before, has left the team hotel with his whereabouts uncertain. He had not trained with the rest of the squad for the past two days, ever since news broke of a 22-year old woman accusing him of sexually abusing her multiple times over the last few years on the pretext of marriage.
The 28-year old Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist has been charged under the stringent POCSO Act with the woman claiming she was 17 at the time. Team members and officials have stayed away from the media so far, concentrating on their training instead.
But, it is learnt that Varun had gathered the team and staff on Tuesday to inform them about the case and his decision to withdraw from the squad for the time being. He left soon after without sharing any details.
“Through media reports I got to know that a false and frivolous case has been filed against me by a girl with whom I was in a relationship previously and the said case has culminated in a FIR in Bengaluru though I have not been contacted by any police official in this regard.
Misuse of power
“The girl comes from a very well-connected police background. She is misusing the State machinery to extort money out of me and to tarnish my reputation and image,” the letter, sent to Hockey India president, chief coach Craig Fulton and HI secretary Bholanath Singh, states.
“Therefore in order to avail my legal remedies I would require urgent leave from the academy and furthermore given the circumstances, I will unfortunately not be in a position to participate in the Pro League,” the letter, delivered through his legal counsels, adds.
Tirkey is currently in Rourkela and Bholanath in Ranchi.
Federation officials here have refused to comment on the issue claiming it was a “personal matter” out of competition and hence out of HI’s purview.
While the identity of the girl has been kept secret, sources say the victim is a former volleyball player and was at the National Centre of Excellence in SAI, Bengaluru, where the Indian team holds its camps.
