NEW DELHI: An Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) executive committee member accused of sexually harassing two female students traveled with the Indian contingent to the International Tent Pegging World Cup qualifiers in Jordan, prompting the sport’s global governing body to write to its Indian counterparts asking how an official accused of molestation by police authorities could accompany the team.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!The Oman-based International Tent Pegging Federation (ITPF) has strongly protested the presence of EC (Tent Pegging) Col (retd) Tarsem Singh Warraich at the WC qualifiers after the parent of the junior rider wrote to the world body, fearing for the safety and well-being of his daughter and other female equestrians.Warraich, who is out on bail on the condition that his sister-in-law is suffering from cancer and requires his presence for chemotherapy, traveled with a team of four (including two girls) as manager-cum-coach, despite the objections of some other EFI members. “He made the trip to accompany the team. Some EC EFI members encouraged him to travel for the qualifiers,” sources told TOI.
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“I was not consulted about the selection of the team. I was kept in the dark. I had no role in the selection process or in the selection of Mr. Tarsem’s appointment as manager-cum-coach. The EFI EC would have explained the matter better. There were also no trials,” EFI general secretary Col (retd) Jaiveer Singh said.It was found that the team was sent by the federation without conducting any selection process. Equestrian clubs in Delhi and Haryana were apparently not available for trials due to prior booking. India, Algeria, Germany, Indonesia, Kuwait, Norway and Saudi Arabia will compete in the qualifiers, which will be held from January 29 to 31. Tent Pegging WC is also planned for Jordan in November.According to documents available with TOI, Warraich was booked under sections 323 (voluntarily causing bodily harm), 354A (sexual harassment and unwelcome physical contact), 376 (punishment for rape) and 511 (assault or use of criminal force to outrage the modesty of a woman) by police station authorities, Global University students in Sonipatdal Sector 27 for sexual harassment. (JGU) campus when an EFI EC member was teaching there in February 2023. An FIR was immediately lodged against Warraich on the complaint of female students (who belonged to army families) and he was subsequently arrested and imprisoned.Warraich was later granted bail by the fast-track court of Additional Sessions Judge Justice Dr Jasbir Singh on the strict condition that the accused attend to his ailing sister-in-law and remain present in India (a copy of the court order is available with TOI). Interim bail was granted until 12 March 2026, after which Warraich was instructed to surrender.However, Warraich traveled with the team to the WC Jordan qualifiers, much to the chagrin of some parents of the girl riders.One of the parents wrote to the ITPF: “I am writing to you as the father of a girl who competes in the junior category of equestrian. It has been found that Col Tarsem Singh, who is currently out on bail for the offense of sexual harassment, is representing the country as the coach of the Indian tent mooring team that will compete in the World Championship qualifiers and for the safety of their qualifying teams. other female riders in the country when the state of affairs in the national the federation has sunk so low that we have an individual who is on bail for a sex crime representing the country as a coach”.After receiving the complaint, ITPF sent a letter to EFI seeking clarification and immediate resolution of the case. “The complaint contains serious concerns regarding the safety and welfare of the athletes. We request that this matter be taken with utmost seriousness and that appropriate action be taken after proper verification of the information provided,” the ITPF Secretariat wrote.
