Sports Ministry Employee, Allegedly Harassed a Woman Athlete

HYDERABAD: A day after the suspension of Dr T. Harikrishna, officer on special duty at the Telangana Sports School at Hakimpet, on allegations of sexually harassing minor girl students, audio records of alleged conversations where a senior employee in the sports minister’s office is heard purportedly making advances to a woman athlete, surfaced on Tuesday.

The senior employee is yet to be identified.

In the purported recordings, a person related to the athlete is heard questioning the employee how he could behave with the athlete who belongs to Kamareddy district in such a manner. He is heard purportedly telling the employee that the athlete had sent him all the ‘vulgar messages’ that that he employee had sent the athlete.

While the athlete’s representative is heard warning that he would complain to the minister on the issue, the employee is heard apologising.

In another audio clip, the employee is heard accepting that he had made a mistake and urging the person at the other end to not make the issue public. “If that happens, my image will be damaged and I will be on the roads. I request you to please keep this to yourself,” he is heard purportedly saying. Sports minister V. Srinivas Goud or the sports department is yet to react on the issue.