PANAJI
Goa Police has maintained complete silence on its side of the story even as the Porvorim police registered a cognisance offence against six including four policemen before transferring the investigation to the Crime Branch.
Defending its act, the staff at the local police station argued that Advocate Gajanan Sawant provoked the policemen, who arrived to attend to a “civil matter” between tenants and a flat owner at Porvorim.
“Adv Sawant started an argument with the cops attending to the matter at the site. Yes, the policemen argued back but then suddenly, the advocate slapped head constable Sandip Parab to which he retaliated,” a senior officer said explaining how the incident unfolded.
Sources said that the injured advocate was brought to the police station from where he was shifted to the hospital for medical attention. “He was brought to the police station because we had to register an FIR against him, but he was soon thereafter taken to the hospital,” he said.
Victim’s wife, Hemlata Sawant has questioned the police’s unwarranted behaviour while also questioning why they attended to a civil complaint. “This is a civil matter (referring to the property issue which was attended by the advocate). When my husband asked the policemen why they were attending to a civil complaint, they abused him, asking him to go back to court. They began assaulting him brutally,” she claimed.
A delegation of the legal fraternity submitted a representation to North SP Nidhin Valsan on Friday seeking immediate action against the policemen, identified in the complaint copy.
“Two policemen were in uniform and one was in civil clothes. They assaulted Adv Sawant intending to kill him. It is a big ploy where a lot of money is involved, otherwise, there is no reason a policeman will behave like a bouncer or a goonda to assault a person in the police station,” Advocate Vinayak Porob alleged.
Assault case transferred to Crime Branch
PANAJI: Amid strong reactions lamenting the attack on Advocate Gajanan Sawant, Goa Police on Saturday transferred the case against four policemen to the Crime Branch (CB) for an ‘impartial investigation.’
Among other sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Porvorim police on Friday night registered a case of attempted murder against head constable Sandip Parab, three unidentified personnel and two others as the legal fraternity demanded an FIR, arrests and suspensions of the errant policemen.
Nearly two hours after registering the FIR, Sub Inspector Sitaram Malik made a station diary entry about transferring the case to the CB by “tomorrow noon” “ Saturday noon.
“…in connection with further investigation PI Porvorim PS and SDPO Porvorim discussed the case with SP North and upon discussion for the purpose of free and impartial investigation, SP North has directed to transfer the present crime to CB, Ribandar “ Goa for further investigation. Arrangements are kept to transfer the same by tomorrow noon,” reads the entry at 11:12 pm on Friday.
HC bar association flays incident, demands magisterial probe
PANAJI: The Goa High Court Bar Association has demanded a Magisterial Inquiry into the assault on Advocate Gajanan Sawant while condemning the incident that occurred on December 8. At an emergency meeting held on Saturday, the Association headed by President, Senior Advocate J E Coelho Pereira resolved to seek a Magisterial Inquiry by District Collector.
“Whilst condemning the acts of the officials/staff of the Porvorim police station and expressing solidarity with the victim, the Association requests the Home Minister, who is presently the Chief Minister; the Law Minister and the Director General of Police of the State, that a Magisterial Inquiry is conducted by the District Collector, and the concerned police officials/staff, if prima facie found to be guilty of misuse of authority, be put to suspension and also relegated to a Department Inquiry,” reads the resolution.
The Association has also sought a thorough investigation of the FIR and that the erring policemen are brought to trial/justice expeditiously within short period of time.
Calling the attack on the advocate a violation of human rights and serious threat to the functioning of the legal fraternity, the Association members questioned if the police can take action in a civil case, as this matter eventually led to the assault on the advocate.
“There are many questions that the in-charge of the Porvorim PS has to answer to the Legal Fraternity, as to whether there was any complaint of a cognizable offence lodged before the PS, for them to act and go to the site in question, and assault the advocate concerned. Whether they could do so in a civil dispute and whether the use of excessive force was justifiable, no matter what the provocation, if any, was,” the resolution copy states.
