MAPUSA
The Nachinola panchayat has in one voice asked the chief minister to thoroughly investigate the death of the teenaged girl and if need be to hand over the investigation to the crime branch or the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The panchayat members have also said that they will not hesitate to knock on the doors of the High Court to give justice to the deceased girl.
“The panchayat has passed a resolution demanding proper investigation in the death of the girl so that she gets justice and if need be to hand over the investigation to the CBI,” said Trupti Bandodkar, Sarpanch of Nachinola.
The resolution was discussed and unanimously passed at the fortnightly meeting held in the panchayat office.
The body of the 19-year-old girl was found in mysterious circumstances on the Calangute beach last week, a day after she was reported missing by her family.
According to police, the girl died of drowning as the autopsy report ruled out sexual assault or violence.
Proposing the resolution, panchayat member Satish Govekar said the villagers were not ready to believe that it was a suicidal death.
“Although the post-mortem report has concluded that it is death due to drowning, the circumstance in which the body of the deceased girl was found on the beach and many other reasons makes it hard for us to believe that it’s a suicidal death,” Govekar said and requested the government to handover the investigation of the case either to the Crime Branch or
CBI.
He also said that if the investigation does not move in the right direction then the villagers will not shy away from knocking on the doors of the High Court.
Deputy Sarpanch Freddy Fernandes said nobody should take political mileage out of the situation and demanded that justice be done to the daughter of the village.
“We find it difficult to believe that it’s a death due to drowning. Also circumstances give some other picture. The whole State wants justice to be done to the girl,” Fernandes said.
Former sarpanch and present panchayat member Govind Govekar expressed doubts on the post-mortem report which ruled out sexual assault and physical violence on the girl.
“Since the BJP swears by the girl-child and hollers ‘Beti Padao, Beti Bachao’, the government should work sincerely to bring the Nachinola girl’s case to its logical end,” Govekar said.
