I AM INNOCENT: Kaushik
MK Kaushik, the coach of the Indian women's hockey team, now stands disgraced after allegations of sexual misconduct by the team members.
Kaushik has, however, denied any wrongdoing and said the charges were a "big-time conspiracy" by players who had failed to find a place in the national team.
A day after the sex scandal rocked the national game, Kaushik stepped down as the head coach and vowed to clear his name, saying the allegations were baseless and he was a victim of "big-time conspiracy".
The ugly scandal broke out when a member of the Indian women's hockey team sent in a written complaint of sexual harassment against Kaushik.
Indian hockey was hit by fresh controversy on Tuesday after Hockey India received a letter accusing former Olympian M K Kaushik, coach of the women's team, of sexual harrassment.
The letter, signed by a 'hockey lover', alleged that Kaushik had asked for sexual favours and used vulgar language during the team's recent tours of Canada and China.
The letter allegedly sent by a woman hockey player to Hockey India
Respected sir,
I am Hockey lover. I want to bring to your kind notice some of the worst things happening in the Indian women hockey team.
There is a videographer Mr. Basavaraja, whenever the team goes for exposure Mr. Kaushik will take him because he arrange some prostitutes for him in the star hotels in abroad.
I am here by attaching some of the pho
tos which were taken in the bedrooms in China and Canada exposure of the teams and every Exposure he pays Rs.30000/ to Mr. Kaushik along with drinks bottles and some gifts.
There is a video analyser for the team because that person will not provide anything he wants so he will not take the video analyser. Video analysis is the most important for the team performance, video recording any person can take but nobody is there to question him. Because he provides girls to his room in hotels in abroad he will take him only.
There is one more person Dr. Rajan, Mind trainer his qualification is B.E and he do not have qualification about psychology or Mind training his duties trying to specify girls to lessen to Kaushik. He will select the team according to his benefits for money and gifts otherwise who will lessen to his benifits.
There are many worst things which we cannot write here, but one example I will give there one call T H Rangitha from North East she was the Captain for the Junior Indian women Hockey team for the World Cup. He has called her to his room during night time but she has not agreed so after the world cup she has not been selected for any tournaments. So I am here by requesting you to kindly Save Indian women Hockey team.
Some photographs attached here with..................
I hope you will take any right action for these because it's a matter of our nation and beneficial for our country sports. I will wait 2 or 3 days for your action after that I relies this on press, my intention is not a blame anybody because I know whole baldie system is corrupt. Right now I have no good evidence against Kaushik but after that your right action definitely punished women player will open her mouth against Kaushik how he did torture them and videographer Mr. Basavaraja will also tell everything when his remand under a polices custody.
Thank you very much.
Hockey lover
The chorus against Kaushik is growing louder.Former India goalkeeper Helen Mary on Wednesday lashed out at MK Kaushik, the chief coach of the women’s national hockey team, saying she quit the national team prematurely because of his misconduct during tours.
While voices continue to be raised against beleaguered hockey coach MK Kaushik, his coaching staff colleagues and former teammates are in a state of shock over the allegations of sexual harassment by a woman hockey player made against him.
Known to be a gentleman among the hockey circles, Kaushik’s fate will be decided when the four-member committee formed by Hockey India submits its report on Friday.
Kaushik’s close friend and fellow coach Mir Ranjan Negi said this news is ‘really bad for Indian hockey’. “I am absolutely shocked. He is a great person and a very good coach. So to taint his image like this is a shame,” Negi said.
Negi, who was the goalkeepers’ coach under Kaushik for the 1998 Asian Games, added: “I cannot recall even if he had drinks while on tour. In fact, he called me from Canada recently and I expressed my desire to voluntarily help goalkeepers and we were going to discuss about it. I can’t understand how this has come up suddenly,” Negi said.
Olympian MM Somaya was equally baffled. “I have known Kaushik for 30 years as a person and coach. Suddenly, if 31 girls make allegations, I don’t know what to make of the case. Maybe the coach was strict with them or maybe the selection has hurt some people, I don’t know. It looks like someone who is aggrieved is behind this, maybe an official. But it is unlikely from a man like Kaushik,” he said.
Joaquim Carvalho, former India coach and someone who knows Kaushik since his playing days, said the episode is unfortunate for Indian hockey. “He was a gentleman in his playing days and has never come across someone who will do such things. I think he is the kind of the guy who would never indulge in these things. If he is really involved, it is a shame, if he is not then it is worse because his image is tarnished. I don’t know how much to trust these reports,” Carvalho said.
“I am not at all surprised with all that has happened. In a way, I am glad that the issue has finally come to light and the girls have thrown him out of the team,” she said. “I quit the national team because of Kaushik sir’s behaviour and all this nonsense, which was rampant during my playing days,” the Arjuna awardee added.
Mary, who made her debut in 1993, was the mainstay of the Indian team during the late 90s and early 2000. In 2003, she saved two penalty strokes in the final tie-breaker to win the title for India at the Afro-Asian Games in Hyderabad.
Mary said such things were going on even when the team had a female manager. “I have seen Kaushik sir in a compromising position with a female manager. The manager used to sit for drinks and have fun with the coaching staff. It used to get very awkward for us. When they came to know that I have seen them like that, they stripped me of the captaincy,” she said.Mary revealed that the next team manager, also a woman, lodged a complaint against Kaushik with the sports ministry and the federation. “Although no action was taken against Kaushik, his partner, who had become assistant coach, was sacked,” she said.
“And since there are no women staffers, he had no option but to try his luck with the players. But calling prostitutes to his room while on tour is shameful. Is this how a coach should conduct himself?”She has alleged that Kaushik had escaped unscathed each time due to his “good friends” within the ministry and the Sports Authority of India (SAI). “He has misbehaved with my teammates many times and we had complained about it many times but nothing much came out of it.”
Mary said the only reason she has decided to come out in open against the coach is because she feels justice needs to be done.“I hope this time he is punished for what he has done. We have suffered a lot under him, and I pray justice is served to the girl who was Kaushik’s victim this time. Make no mistake, he is a great coach but he is a characterless guy,” she said.
The letter also speaks about the team's videographer Basavraj. It says, he 'is basically a photographer employed with the Sports Authority of India, Bangalore. He only knows how to record matches and has zero knowledge of computers. The other videographer Ms H Nalini is a software professional... Nalini is the main requirement of the team looking into the importance of video analysis in modern hockey. Yet for any foreign tour Kaushik takes Basavraj with the team, the reason being Basavraj bribes Kaushik and also buys him drinks on tours abroad and pays for his shopping'.
