MAPUSA
The owner of the Goan Hut shack in Candolim, Sonia Parsekar, has denied allegations of assaulting three veterinary doctors, claiming the altercation was instigated by the intoxicated doctors themselves.
The incident, which occurred late Friday night, led to the arrest of two shack employees, but Parsekar insists the situation escalated due to the doctors' behaviour.
Parsekar explained that her establishment had been closed for renovations for nearly 15 days and only one staff member was present at the time of the incident.
She claimed that the three individuals involved, including a couple drinking on the beach, were heavily intoxicated and causing a nuisance.
"They were drunk and creating a disturbance. I asked them to leave, but they falsely claimed they were assaulted by 15 people, which is completely untrue," Parsekar said.
According to her, the argument began when the couple requested more alcohol, which her staff denied as the shack was not officially open yet.
"The couple had been sitting and drinking for a long time, and when they asked for more alcohol, my staff refused service. That's when things escalated. The third person then joined the argument and they started using abusive language and even threatened self-harm with surgical knives," Parsekar alleged.
She added that despite offering to take the group to a hospital, they refused, appearing "heavily intoxicated."
However, in a complaint filed by one of the doctors, a different version of events was presented.
The doctor claimed that around midnight, the shack owner and her staff verbally abused her and assaulted her two male companions using a bamboo stick.
The two men reportedly suffered injuries to their heads and backs, requiring hospital treatment.
The complaint suggests the confrontation started when a worker allegedly made a derogatory remark towards the female doctor, sparking the altercation as the group tried to leave the premises.
Following the incident, Calangute Police arrested two shack employees “ Jitendra Singh (24) from Uttarakhand and Arun Kumar Vishvkarma (25) from Uttar Pradesh.
Both were taken into custody late Sunday night as investigations into the matter continue.
Police are now examining both sides of the incident to determine the cause of the altercation and whether additional arrests or charges will be made.
