Two women footballers from Himachal Pradesh club Khad FC have leveled serious allegations against Deepak Sharma, a member of the executive committee of the All India Football Federation – the governing body of the sport in the country. According to the footballers, Sharma attacked them in a hotel room during the ongoing Indian Women’s League 2 in Goa. The footballers filed a complaint with the AIFF on Friday, while the assault is said to have taken place in a hotel room in Goa on Thursday.
According to the footballers, Sharma was insulted because they were preparing food and physically abused them. Sharma is the general secretary of the Himachal Pradesh Football Association and vice-chairman of the AIFF competition committee.
The footballers also alleged that Sharma was drunk when the incident took place and that he drank in their presence while they were traveling from Himachal Pradesh to Goa.
One of the footballers, Palak Verma, spoke to WhatsNew2Day about the incident. “That day I got injured and had brought eggs into my room. Around 10:30-11:00 PM I was in the kitchen with another girl preparing eggs. At that time sir called us to his room. The other girl went to his room and she was asked what we were doing. She told him that the egg was being prepared. The gentleman scolded the girl and then called me in. He asked in a rude manner why I was preparing the egg and if I ‘ special’.
“Sir was drunk,” she added.
“I explained to him that the food had run out so I was preparing eggs in the room. He was drunk that time. He told me to throw the eggs away. I started crying and came to my room and hit the door. When I heard that, “That gentleman ran to the room and entered the room without knocking. He came and physically attacked me. My roommate stopped him and then he left.
“After that, her wife, who is also the manager of the club, Nandita came and put pressure on us. She told us that we don’t have sanskaar. We complained to GFA and AIFF. They came for investigation. They told Sharma to send a written letter stating that no harm will be caused to us. My age is 21 years. Pressure is being put on us to resolve our complaint.”
Palak added that she has not been able to sleep after the incident. They also haven’t been able to play because they aren’t in the right mental frame.
Speaking about the incident, GFA Vice President Jonathan D’Sousa said, “After receiving the complaint, I met the parties. A report will be sent to the AIFF for necessary action. I also went to the hotel at night and felt “It was important from the GFA’s perspective to file a complaint with the police. But our role was limited because we are not the victims and cannot file an FIR. But we have forwarded the girl’s complaint to the police and informed them about the incident to ensure the girls’ safety.
“Mrs. Valenka Alemao (Head of the AIFF Women’s Football Committee) also met the girls. She took the girls to a room where no other person was present. We hope the girls get justice.”
Deepak Sharma has been summoned for questioning at Mapusa police station on the Goa Football Association’s complaint. AIFF is yet to comment on the entire issue.
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