SAI has obtained 17 sexual harassment complaints since 2018: Sports minister Anurag Thakur

The Sports Authority of India (SAI) obtained 17 complaints of sexual harassment since 2018, the federal government stated in the course of the Question Hour within the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
Replying to questions requested by seven House members, together with some from the Bharatiya Janta Party, sports activities minister Anurag Thakur stated SAI centres positioned in Thiruvananthapuram, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Gandhinagar, Lucknow and Delhi NCR obtained complaints of sexual harassment. Seven of these complaints had been obtained in 2018, six in 2019, one in 2020 and three thus far this yr.
Thakur added that 16 complaints had been made by staff of SAI and the place the ‘incidence has taken place inside SAI Complex. “In another case, one coach of SAI has been accused of sexual harassment misconduct outside SAI premises for which criminal proceedings are underway,” Thakur stated in his reply.

Last yr, The Indian Express had reported that 45 instances of sexual harassment had been reported at 24 centres run by the SAI, which comes beneath the sports activities ministry, between 2010 and 2019, and that many instances had dragged on for years. Following the report, former SAI director generals had stated the precise variety of harassment instances may very well be quite a bit greater since lots of them aren’t reported.
Thakur, on Tuesday, stated ‘due arrangements for prevention of sexual harassment and a mechanism for redressal of complaints have been put in place in all training centres of SAI.’
“Internal Complaints Committees have been set up at various centres of SAI with a senior female officer as the Chairperson of the Committee. A 24×7 call centre is also in operation in SAI where the trainees can lodge complaints. Female Coaches / female Managers are accompanied with the teams when they are going outstation,” he stated.