Vijayawada: Six Indian women kabaddi players on Thursday accused Kabaddi Association state secretary V. Veera Lankaiah of sexually harassing them and selling certificates required to apply for government jobs under sports quota.
The Kabaddi players P. Sunitha, K.L.V. Ramana, P Sunitha, S. Goutami, and P Dhana Lakshmi alleged that the secretary had sold about 30 Form-2 certificates for lakhs of rupees, affecting the employment prospects of real sportspersons.
P Sunitha, a member of the Indian team, said she was selected for a job in the railways. But when she approached Veera Lankaiah for the Form-2, he demanded that either she pay him or come to his home to meet him.
The Form-2 is a certificate issued by sports association authenticating a person’s achievement in the game. The Form-2 is required for apply for government jobs under the sports quota.
Another national Kabaddi player S. Goutami alleged that Veera Lankaiah stopped them from joining sports camps and also abuses the players in public.
The players said they have lodged a complaint with the police and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu against Veera Lankaiah’s misuse of his office.
Krishna District Kabaddi Association secretary Y Srikanth said Veera Lankaiah has harassed women kabaddi players sexually and also blamed for the death of a sportsperson in 1995.
Mr Srikanth also said Veera Lankaiah has been in the post of the secretary for 20 years, which is against rules.
Mr Veera Lankaiah, however, denied all allegations. “I am ready for any punishment if the allegations are proved,” he told this newspaper.
He accused Mr Srikanth of instigating the players to level false complaints against him.
He also dismissed the allegations of him selling Form-2 certificates and said any fake certificate could be identified easily as all of them will be submitted to the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP).
