Indian Hockey Player Varun Kumar Accused of Rape, Booked under POCSO Act

Varun Kumar, an Indian hockey player and Arjuna Award winner, finds himself at the center of a legal controversy. The Bengaluru Police have booked Kumar under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act after he was accused of raping a minor.

The allegations came from a police complaint filed by a 22-year-old woman who alleges that she was raped by Varun Kumar on multiple occasions when she was 17 years old. According to her, she first encountered Kumar in 2018 through Instagram. The relationship progressed, with Kumar promising marriage to the victim.

According to the victim, Kumar was training at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre in Bengaluru when she met him. A senior Bengaluru Police officer stated, “Based on the complaint received from the woman, we have registered a case…under the appropriate section of the POCSO Act and sections 376 (rape) and 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Indian Penal Code.”

Contrary to earlier reports suggesting Kumar was absconding, Hockey India has denied such claims, asserting that he is currently in Bhubaneswar with the national team, preparing for the upcoming FIH Pro League matches.

Who is Varun Kumar?

Varun Kumar comes from Himachal Pradesh and joined the Indian national team in 2017. He was on standby for the Indian squad in the Tokyo Olympics. Currently, he’s training with the national team in Bhubaneswar for the upcoming FIH Pro League matches. The Indian team will play against Spain in their first match on February 10. Kumar received the Arjuna Award in 2021 and was recently promoted to a DSP in Punjab. 

Police Report

In the police report, the victim stated that Varun insisted on meeting her after they connected on social media. They become friends, which later evolved into a relationship. The woman also mentioned that Kumar took her to a hotel in Bengaluru’s Jayanagar in July 2019, where they engaged in physical relations. Despite her initial reluctance, she agreed after Kumar promised to marry her and take their relationship further.

“She accused him of getting physical with her on several occasions over the five-year-long relationship she shared with him on the pretext of marriage,” PTI quoted FIR stated.

The FIR filed against Varun Kumar details disturbing accounts of manipulation and betrayal. The victim alleges that Kumar, under the guise of a romantic relationship, coerced her into physical intimacy. Despite her resistance, Kumar purportedly persisted, making false promises of marriage to maintain control over her.

After some time, Kumar started distancing himself from the victim and stopped communication after the passing of her father. A few months later, he allegedly resorted to threats, warning the woman against pursuing the matter further by threatening to publicize intimate photographs of her on social media.

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