What’s the story?
India athlete Tanveer Hussain who arrived at Saranac Lake in New York for the World Snowshoe Championships after controversy broke out over him being denied a visa, has now been charged with sexual assault. The 24-year-old snowshoer has been arrested in New York on charges of physically abusing a minor girl and endangering the welfare of a child. Tanveer will stay in prison till his case reaches a judgement.
According to a statement released by the Saranac Lake Village Police, officials accused Hussain of engaging in a kiss with a 13-year-old girl. The report also stated that he touched the girl inappropriately, “Tanveer further was accused of touching her in an intimate area over her clothing.There was no accusation of force. The charges were the result of the age differences of the individuals. There were no other allegations made against Hussain.”
In case you did not know...
Just a few days earlier, Tanveer and athlete Abid Khan’s visas were rejected by the US Embassy in Delhi following a recent order issued by President Donald Trump barring people from seven Muslim countries entry to the US.
However, they received the visas after lobbying from US Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer as well as by local officials in the Adirondacks.
The heart of the matter
Hussain was arrested on Wednesday after a 13-year-old girl reportedly accused him of physically abusing her. Fellow athlete, Abid Khan, has pleaded for Tanveer’s innocence. Khan reportedly also said that the girl showed up uninvited at the hotel where they were staying and the incident took place for a few seconds before Hussain pushed her and walked away.
Hussain was arraigned and his lawyer Brian Barrett had appealed for a not-guilty plea on Hussain's behalf.
As quoted from the Adirondack Daily Entreprise, Barret said in the interview, "I could not have entered anything else but a not-guilty based on the information I had. Based on the limited communication I could have with Hussain, it did not allow for me to properly evaluate the case and make an informed decision on behalf of my client. They are merely allegations alone. Not only is he innocent, he is presumed innocent by law. That is how he should be seen in the community and by anyone paying attention in this case."
What’s next?
As of now, the judge has denied accepting the non-guilty plea and has remanded Tanveer to the Essex County Jail in Lewis in lieu of $5,000 cash bail or $10,000 bond. A preliminary hearing on his case is scheduled for next Monday.
Both Tanveer and Abid were supposed to leave Saranac Lake later this week and scheduled for a flight back home from New York City.
Sportskeeda’s Take
The newly constructed immigration policy by the US government against Muslims has already come under a lot of debate and criticism. And along with that, sentencing a Muslim sportsperson to imprisonment based on an alleged accusation will surely put the administration under the scanner.
