CHENNAI: Charges of harassment, molestation and criminal intimidation were slapped on the Tamil Nadu State Amateur Boxing Association Secretary after a champion woman boxer accused him of seeking sexual favours in order to select her for national- level events.
Bronze medallist at the 2009 Women’s Senior National Boxing Championship held in Uttar Pradesh, 24-year-old E Thulasi claimed in her petition to City Commissioner of Police T Rajendran that association secretary A K Karunakaran (47) misbehaved with her on January 29, asking her ‘to cooperate’ if she wished to be selected for important events—including the National Games in Jharkhand that concluded on February 26.
Thulasi’s lawyer Durai Kannan told Express that Karunakaran had been harassing her since 2005. On January 29, Karunakaran summoned Thulasi in the morning, claiming he wanted to discuss the approaching National Games. He got physical with her and, when she rejected his advances, threatened her.
Daughter of daily wage labourers, Thulasi’s dream was to make it big. Although she did not win a medal at the championship in Kerala last December, the jury had selected her for the Jharkhand games. In the end, however, she did not make it because of Karunakaran, the advocate alleged.
Following an investigation by DCP (Kilpauk), Karunakaran was arrested by Vepery police on Tuesday and brought to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court in Egmore. Ugly scenes were witnessed at the court as Karunakaran and his associate were beaten up by men who looked like lawyers— dressed in white shirts and black trousers.
