'He was after us 24/7'! POCSO case against Kerala Sports Council coach for sexually abusing weightlifting trainees

At least two weightlifting trainees have come forward with allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct against a Kerala State Sports Council coach in Malappuram. The trainees, now 18, said that Mohammed Nishak K had misbehaved with them since they were minors.

The trainees have also alleged that they faced hostility at the Kottakkal Police Station, where they were summoned based on their complaint filed with the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) in Malappuram on June 4. A trainee reported that 'a lady staff in plainclothes' was rude to their parents, warning them of the consequences of filing a case and forcing them to sign a written statement stating they had no complaint.

On Tuesday (July 29), more than 50 days since the bitter experience at the police station, the trainees conjured the courage to give their statement to a woman police officer. "This police officer was courteous and listened to us patiently for three hours," said one of the trainees.

On July 30, an FIR was registered against Nishak at the Tenhipalam Police Station. He has been booked under POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act) sections 7, 8, 11 (iv) and 12 for sexual assault and use of digital medium to watch/contact the child constantly. As per the FIR, Nishak sexually abused one of the trainees between January and December 2024 when she was a minor. If proven guilty, the accused could be sentenced to a term of up to five years in jail.

Mandatory video calls at night
One of the trainees Onmanorama spoke to said Nishak insisted on doing video calls with them at night and constantly made sexual advances. "He would say, 'I'm your coach, I'm your everything. Why can't you give me? Why are you scared?" said the young weightlifter, who began training under Nishak when she was in class 9.

"He was after us 24/7. Every night, he insisted on making video calls. He has a wife and a child, but they are not with him; he lives alone.

"Even the look he gives is dirty.

"It became intolerable when I went for the nationals. He came with us as the coach. A female teacher and a male co-ordinator also travelled with us, but they were not involved with training. It was a two-day train journey, and he convinced the others that I was his student, so he had to talk to me and give me motivation.

"I tried to stay away by mingling with the other trainees, but he insisted that I sit with him. He would make me follow him when he stepped out for tea, and he knew no one would find it odd because I'm his trainee.

"He called me (to sleep with him) when I went for the nationals," the trainee said.

Gun, sword in his car?
In their complaint that was forwarded to the CWC, the trainees have alleged that Nishak groped them inside his 'big car'. "Often there were weapons such as sword, knife and gun in his car," they wrote in the complaint. The trainees also said Nishak demanded that they surrender their passports to him. "He also took ₹25,000 from me in instalments. He said it was to prepare me for the nationals, by buying supplements and other stuff," said the trainee. Meanwhile, Nishak refuted the allegations. He has claimed that the trainees were acting out of vengeance because they could not get into a government scheme.

No counselling yet
Adv Suresh, chairperson, CWC, Malappuram, said they had sought two reports, one from the police and the other from the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU). "We instructed the DCPU to facilitate counselling for the trainees with a psychologist," he said.

However, even after 50 days since they approached the CWC, the trainees have not been given counselling. "At that time, a psychologist was not available; they were undergoing training in Thiruvananthapuram," said DCPU officer Shajitha Attassery. The DCPU said there won't be any further delays in providing counselling.

The CWC chairperson has said the case remains open on their end regardless of the initial report from the police, which said there was no complaint. "The police report alone is not enough. If the report from DCPU after the counselling necessitates an action, it will be taken," Adv Suresh said.