Chandigarh: Sandeep Singh, Haryana’s Minister of State for Sports activities, who has been within the eye of a storm ever since a girl coach accused him of sexual harassment Thursday, is a former captain of the Indian Nationwide Hockey workforce.
Born within the small city of Shahbad 35-year-old Singh, was chosen within the Indian nationwide hockey workforce in 2004. Nevertheless, a freak bullet harm, incurred in an unintentional firing whereas travelling within the Kalka Shatabadi prepare in August, 2006, threatened to finish his profession when he was simply 20 years previous.
Singh, nonetheless, returned to the workforce, incomes the sobriquet of ‘Flicker Singh’, due to his specialisation within the drag flick manoeuvre in hockey. He went on to captain the Indian hockey workforce and have become the deputy superintendent of police, Haryana, earlier than successful the 2019 Haryana meeting election from Pehowa and taking cost as sports activities minister of the state on the age of 33.
In 2018, Sony Footage Community produced a biopic Soorma, primarily based on Singh’s life, the place actor Diljit Dosanjh performed him, whereas Taapsee Pannu essayed the position of his love curiosity, Harpreet Kaur. In actual life, Singh’s spouse is former hockey participant Harjinder Kaur.
Singh closely relied on his hockey background and the biopic whereas campaigning for the 2019 elections, a lot in order that the title monitor of the movie was repeatedly performed on loudspeaker from a automobile accompanying him.
On Thursday, nonetheless, a girl athletics coach accused Singh of sexual harassment throughout a press convention held on the residence of Indian Nationwide Lok Dal (INLD) chief Abhay Singh Chautala, earlier than approaching Chandigarh Police with a criticism the next day.
“We have now acquired a criticism from the girl. She got here to satisfy us on the police headquarters in Sector 9. We’ll probe the allegations,” superintendent of police (metropolis) Shruti Arora mentioned answering queries from media individuals Friday.
Whereas Singh has dismissed the allegations as “baseless” and known as for an unbiased enquiry, a girls deputy director of the sports activities division, Kavita Devi, has addressed a press convention Saturday, the place she described Singh as a very good sportsman and alleged that the girl coach had as soon as badmouthed her too. She, nonetheless, added that there ought to be honest investigation within the case.
The accusations in opposition to Singh have in the meantime stirred a political storm, with chief of opposition within the Haryana meeting, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, demanding an neutral inquiry within the allegations, in a press convention at Rohtak Friday.
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Journey from hockey to politics
Born in a decrease middle-class household at Shahbad, Kurukshetra, Singh’s first hockey coach was Kartar Singh.
Shahbad has been the birthing place of many well-known hockey gamers, particularly girls hockey gamers. Rani Rampal, former captain of the nationwide girls’s workforce and gamers like Ritu Rani, Navneet Kaur, Navjot Kaur, Suman Bala, Sandeep Kaur, Rajni Bala and Surinder Kaur, are all from Shahbad.
Sandeep Singh’s elder brother, Bikramjit Singh, additionally performed area hockey.
Singh made his worldwide debut in January 2004, within the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Kuala Lumpur. Nevertheless, he was critically injured in 2006, after being hit by a stray bullet in an unintentional firing within the Kalka Shatabdi Categorical prepare, whereas on his approach to be part of the nationwide workforce, which was attributable to go away for the World Cup in Africa in two days.
He was partially paralyzed and in a wheelchair for one yr, however ultimately returned to the workforce and even performed World Cup for India in 2010.
He took over because the captain of the Indian hockey workforce in January 2009 and below him, the Indian workforce managed to clinch the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in 2009 after defeating Malaysia within the finals at Ipoh. This was India’s first win at this match in 13 years. He remained captain until simply earlier than the World Cup in 2010.
Singh was the highest purpose scorer, together with his world-best pace drag flick of 145 km per hour, successful the sobriquet of ‘Flicker Singh’.
In July 2009, Sandeep Singh was appointed as a DSP in Haryana Police, below the state authorities’s coverage to supply police posts to medal-winning sportspeople.
In October 2019, Singh resigned from the put up, after the BJP provided him a ticket to contest the meeting elections from Pehowa meeting phase.
He went on to defeat Mandeep Singh Chatha, son of veteran Congress chief and former Haryana Speaker H.S. Chatha, and was inducted as Minister of Sports activities and Youth Affairs (MoS) and Minister of Printing and Stationery (MoS) (Impartial Cost) in Manohar Lal Khattar’s authorities.
(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)
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