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Kashmiri sportsman held in US on charges of molesting a minor

The accused, who had been denied a visa earlier in the year, was allowed to enter the US following intense lobbying.

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Tanveer Hussain
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A Kashmiri sportsman, identified by US-based website - northcountrypublicradio.org - as Tanveer Hussain, has been held on charges of molestation during a snowshoe racers’ event in United Nation’s Saranac Lake village, New York.

According to a report in The Hindu, Jammu and Kashmir (J & K) sports Council secretary Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra confirmed that a sportsman on an independent event “has been detained.”

“We are ascertaining the facts. Initial reports suggest that a Kashmir-origin sportsman has been detained. We are in the process of providing him the legal aid since he belongs to Jammu and Kashmir. So far, we have sketchy details of what has actually happened at the venue,” Mr. Parra said.

The Adirondack Daily Enterprise stated that 24-year-old Hussain, a J & K bank employee, "was arrested on Wednesday and charged with first degree sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child."

The Enterprise added that the youth, who is on a visit to Saranac Lake for an international snowshoe competition, is accused of "inappropriate sexual behaviour with an underage girl, contact which allegedly took place on Monday in the village of Saranac Lake.”

A US-based newspaper quoted a statement by the Saranac Lake Village Police that said Hussain was accused by officials of “engaging in a passionate kiss with a 12-year-old girl”.

“He further was accused of touching her in an intimate area over her clothing…There was no accusation of force. The charges result of the age differences of the individuals. There were no other allegations made against Mr. Hussain," the police is quoted as saying.

Earlier in the year, it was reported that two snowshoers from Kashmir, who were supposed to take part in the 2017 World Snowshoe Championships in New York from February 24-25, had alleged they had been denied visa to the US due to the "current (US) policy".

"Indian Snowshoers Denied Visas, due to 'current (US) policy'. This from our good friend Abid Khan, from Kashmir, minutes ago in our Facebook Messaging," Clyde Rabideau, Mayor of the Village of Saranac Lake in New York, had written on his Facebook page then.

The snowshoers reportedly denied visas were Abid Khan and Tanveer Hussain.

The American website has now claimed that Hussain was allowed to enter the US for the competition following intense lobbying from local officials and residents in the Adirondacks, as well as by US Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer.

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