Who Is Sandeep Singh, Haryana Minister & Hockey Icon Accused of Sexual Assault?

Following the complaint, the Haryana Sports Minister handed over his sports portfolio on 1 January.

BJP MLA Sandeep Singh (left) being administered the oath at the Vidhan Sabha in Chandigarh on 4 November 2019.

(Photo: PTI)

Video Producer: Shohini Bose

Video Editor: Rajbir Singh

Following an FIR over a sexual harassment complaint by a junior athletics coach, Haryana Sports Minister and BJP leader Sandeep Singh on Sunday, 1 January 2023, handed over his sports portfolio to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on "moral grounds." The survivor accused Singh – the former captain of the Indian Hockey Men's team – of contacting her on Instagram, inviting her home, and sexually harassing her at his camp office later.

The case was registered against Singh under Sections 354 (assault with intent to outrage a woman’s modesty), 354A (sexual harassment), 354B (assault with the intention of disrobing), 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. Singh, however, has dismissed the allegations as an effort to ruin his image.

Who is Sandeep Singh? Born on 27 February 1986, Singh (left) was the captain of the Indian national hockey team. A penalty corner specialist, he was nicknamed 'Flicker Singh' for his drag flick – an attacking technique used mainly within a penalty corner. At one point, he was said to have the best drag-flick speed in the world – 145 km/hour.

On 22 August 2006, Singh was seriously injured by an accidental gunshot in the Kalka Shatabdi Express train, when he was on his way to join the national team, who were to leave for the World Cup in Africa two days later. Singh, a 20-year-old at the time, was confined to a wheelchair for over a year of his life after the injury. (The team was photographed in 2006 ahead of the India-Pakistan match in Lahore.)

Singh returned to hockey two years later. He played for India at the 2008 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, where he emerged as the top scorer. He was named the captain of the hockey team the next year, and under his captaincy, India won the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in 2009.

In 2010, Singh received the prestigious Arjuna award for his accomplishments in field hockey. Two years later, the Indian Men's team qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London after a gap of 8 years. The team had a resounding victory over France in the finals. Singh scored five goals – including a hat-trick – all from penalty corners.

Singh officially entered politics in 2019 by joining the Bharatiya Janata Party. The same year, he was elected from the Pehowa constituency as an MLA in the Haryana Assembly elections. Singh beat Congress's Mandeep Singh by over 5,000 votes and was the only sportsperson fielded by the BJP to win the polls.

Singh was sworn in as Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs (MoS) and Minister of Printing and Stationery (MoS) (Independent Charge) on 4 November 2019.

According to The Indian Express, Singh, as the Sports Minister, oversaw the Fourth Khelo India Youth Games in Panchkula in 2022. The Sports Department's decision to ask players for fees to practice in the stadium, however, triggered an uproar, forcing the minister to retract the rule. (Singh photographed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March 2020.)

In 2018, the hockey player-turned-politician's life was turned into a Hindi biopic named 'Soorma'. Actor Diljit Dosanjh played Singh on screen, while Taapsee Pannu and Angad Bedi played other main roles.

Following a sexual harassment complaint by a junior athletics coach, Haryana Sports Minister and BJP leader Sandeep Singh on Sunday, 1 January 2023, handed over his sports portfolio to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on "moral grounds."

The survivor accused Singh – the former captain of the Indian Hockey Men's team – of contacting her on Instagram, inviting her home, and sexually harassing her at his camp office later. 

Singh, however, has dismissed the allegations as an effort to ruin his image. Here's everything you need to know about Sandeep Singh, whose life in sports has even elicited a biopic named Soorma (2018).