Two weeks after young Lester D’Souza was brutally assaulted by policemen post FC Goa’s match against Delhi Dynamos, the fans returned to the Fatorda stadium on November 22 with blurry images of the gruesome incident at the back of their minds. An air of hesitancy prevailed with decibels dropping down drastically. The fanfare and the carnival that engulfed the stadium slackened and the roar of the Bengaluru fans overpowered the Gaurs army. A water-tight police cover was manning every possible space in and outside the stadium and the scars of the infamous November 8 were distinctly visible all around.
The police may have got a reprieve, but the issue has not died down despite Director General of Police Dr Muktesh Chander trying to give it a silent burial. And the fact that Goa Human Rights Commission took over two weeks to take cognizance of the inhuman treatment meted out to Lester only goes to show how ‘susegad’ the system works.
The DGP has ordered a departmental inquiry against two police sub-inspectors and the role of PSI Dattaprasad Toraskar and PSI Ronak Kadam who are under probe. But several questions have gone unanswered. There is no time-frame set for completion of probe, neither is there any interim action. There is no statement from the police top brass on why no FIR has been registered against the erring policemen and the reasons behind not going for suspensions pending inquiry.
While there was an uproar among fans with even social media going abuzz flashing videos and pictures of the gruesome incident, the DGP has remained mum over taking punitive action based on the available evidence. If the videos doing the rounds on social media cannot be taken cognizance of, the stadium footage could have been accessed to take the probe further. By deciding against taking immediate action, the DGP has only given the erring police an easy way out.
What is also surprising is an incongruous silence maintained by FC Goa after an official note released on the night of the incident stated that the matter is under investigation. The note spoke of how the club affirms its position to provide the highest security to all fans and people and that it does not condone violence of any kind. It said that the club was awaiting details on the incident to take its next step. Two weeks later, FC Goa still remained cold as a stone.
It may be noted that FC Goa is paying Goa police Rs 31 lakh per match for providing security and managing the traffic. In four seasons of ISL, the team has paid approximately Rs 9.7 crore so far. Each sub-inspector, including Toraskar and Kadam are paid approximately Rs 3600 per shift.
Fans are the heartbeats of any club and their team-following and support should never be taken for granted.
