Accuses complainant of being 'habitual extortionist'
PANAJI
Accusing the complainant of being a “habitual extortionist”, Poriem MLA Deviya Rane on Wednesday also hit out at the police for mishandling the violence at the Honda police outpost late Sunday night.
Valpoi police had arrested eight persons and also booked 10 others, including Honda Sarpanch Shivdas Madkar and Panch Krishna Gaonkar, and 400 unknown persons, in connection with violence outside the Honda police outpost late Sunday night, which led to protestors torching the complainant’s car outside the police outpost.
Commenting on the incident, Rane told media persons that the complainant “is well known in Honda panchayat for repeatedly filing complaints and then extorting money.”
“He has a long record of harassing locals with complaints about houses, loud music, or even religious events. People are fed up because this has become his pattern — he files complaints and then looks to settle them for money,” said Rane.
“That night, during Diwali celebrations and the Narakasur festival, music was being played like every year. It’s a traditional festival that goes on till early morning, and people were simply celebrating. This person went to the police to complain about the music, which angered the locals. I’m not supporting violence, but the police should have handled the situation better.”
“Instead, the local police reacted in haste and detained several innocent bystanders, including youngsters. The situation was completely mismanaged by the police at Sattari.”
Rane said she has already spoken to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and the Home Department about the incident.
“The real culprits should be identified and punished, but innocent people must not be harassed. I have asked the police to check CCTV footage properly before making arrests. You can’t just pick anyone standing nearby and call them accused,” Rane added.
