India’s table tennis player Soumyajit Ghosh has been accused of allegedly raping an 18-year-old girl in Kolkata. An FIR was filed against the Olympian at the Barasat Women Police Station on Wednesday.
According to The Hindustan Times’ report, the complainant has expressed that Ghosh made a promise to marry her, but later denied it. As a direct consequence, the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) has said it is likely to suspend the former national champion and also drop him from the country's Commonwealth Games squad.
The charges are very serious against Ghosh, who is an important member of the men’s squad for the CWG. I have called an executive committee meeting tomorrow. In my opinion, we have no option but to suspend him pending further investigations.MP Singh, TTFI Secretary
The reports by a Bengali daily Ebela said that the couple first started speaking to each other on social media in 2014 and subsequently got into a relationship. The girl expressed that she met Ghosh at his flat in Kolkata and his hometown in Siliguri.
In September 2016, the girl got pregnant which led to a fight between the couple and their families. The girl states that Soumyajit compelled her to stay at his home to get accustomed with their culture. During that time Ghosh and his family members allegedly forcefully performed an abortion procedure on her.
According to Ebela, Ghosh and the girl may have tied the knot in a temple in North Bengal.
We have received a complaint against table tennis player Soumyajit Ghosh and have started an investigation. The details can’t be revealed.Abhijit Banerjee, Barasat Additional SP
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