DEHRADUN: Former Dehradun Cricket Association coach Narendra Shah, accused of sexually harassing women cricketers, was today granted bail by a court here.
The court of ACJM IV Abhishek Srivastava released the accused Shah on a personal bond.
Circle Officer Pankaj Gairola told The New Indian Express, "The accused cricket coach Narendra Shah was produced before the ACJM court today, where he was granted bail on a personal bond".
Cricket coach Narendra Shah was allegedly wanted for having obscene conversations with minor women cricketers, and was arrested by the police on Thursday.
Shah, a 65-year-old cricket coach, has been accused of being involved in child sexual abuse charges after an audio clip of his conversation with a young cricketer surfaced last month.
Shah had attempted suicide on March 24 after the police booked him under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, criminal intimidation and using casteist words. He has been booked for sexual harassment and under the SC/ST Act also.
"Suspended Cricket Association official Shah was arrested late Thursday night after being discharged from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh, where he was shifted from Dehradun's Doon Medical College and Hospital," Circle Officer Pankaj Gairola said.
Shah, who has coached young girls for years, was also the co-convenor of women's cricket at the Uttarakhand Cricket Association. He was removed from the post after an FIR was lodged against him. Shah is accused of demanding sexual favours from the teenager under his supervision and threatening her not to talk about it, police said.
Meanwhile, Usha Negi, former chairperson of the Uttarakhand State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, told the TNIE, "This kind of culture will not be tolerated in Uttarakhand and a letter has been written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, including the top leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party, to take strictest action against the accused".
