Masseur refused out of court settlement in indecent assualt case

New Delhi, Apr 5 (UNI) Indian Chef-de-mission at the Commonwealth Games HJ Dora today revealed that masseur Diwan Asghar Nabi, on trial in Melbourne for indecent assualt at the Games village, refused an out of court settlement asserting that he was innocent.

''We tried for an out of court settlement but the masseur Diwan Asghar Nabi refused to consider it as he thought he had done nothing wrong,'' Mr Dora told reporters here today.

Mr Dora said Nabi believed that such a move would have jeoperdised his reputation and claimed himself to be innocent refuting the accusations made by the 16-year-old volunteer saying that he only wanted to get photographed with her.

''We could have worked out a settlement where Nabi would have apologised and the matter would have been closed there and then. But Nabi would have nothing of it as he thought it would leave a scar on his honour,'' Dora said.

''Nabi has been steadfast in claiming his innocence,'' he said.

Following the incident, Nabi was suspended from the Indian contingent in Melbourne by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and his passport was taken away by the authorities there, who refused to allow him to comeback after the Games.

UNI PM DH RK2018