PANAJI
Tension prevailed in Panaji constituency with political clashes involving prominent members of BJP, Goa Suraksha Manch and Congress. These clashes marred
the otherwise peaceful polls on Wednesday.
Allegations surfaced in two separate incidents at booth No 29 and booth No 9 involving former Panaji BJP MLA Siddharth Kuncalienkar with GSM and Congress accusing him of misbehavior and physical intimidation. Copies of these complaints have
been forwarded to the returning officer.
GSM election agent Atmaram Gaonkar has filed a complaint at the Panaji Police station stating that GSM vice president Govind Dev, a senior citizen, was manhandled by Kuncalienkar at booth No 9, near Nacional theatre in Panaji.
"Kuncalienkar suddenly came to our booth counter with a group of six to seven people and threatened them not to sit at the counters. He went on abusing our vice president and pushed him forcefully and finally caught the collar of Dev," GSM
has stated in its complaint seeking registration of an FIR gainst Kuncalienkar under the relevant sections of law.
The second incident occurred at booth No 29 at around 11.30 am outside Kamat Estate in Tonca, Panaji. Videos of the conflict which have emerged in the aftermath show Kuncalienkar quarreling with Mahila Congress president Pratima Coutinho and members Rita D'Souza, Diana Braganza and Farida Bandekar at Congress polling agent's table.
The situation was brought under control within an hour. To prevent deterioration of law and order, heavy police deployment was made along entire stretch of 100 mts around Kamat Estate till the conclusion of the polls.
In his complaint before the Panaji Police, Congress election agent Adv Rohit Bras de Sa has stated that at around 11.30 am, Mahila
Congress members D'Souza and Braganza were seated at the polling booth table along with two other party workers at Tonca. Kuncalienkar accompanied by Sheetal Dattaprasad Naik approached the table and allegedly caught hold of Braganza's hand in a ‘violent and inappropriate' manner, he charged.
The BJP members thereafter snatched the electoral roll from the table with Kuncalienkar threatening to have both the Mahila Congress members arrested and detained
overnight.
Mahila Congress president Coutinho said that Goa Forward supremo Vijai Sardessai, Atanasio "Babush" Monserrate and Akbar Mulla visited the spot in a four-wheeler. "They expressed inability to return our papers which
were taken by Kuncalienkar," she said.
Congress has requested the police to "investigate, recover the property of their workers and to book Kuncalienkar and Naik for
offences under the Indian Penal Code".
Tension prevailed in Panaji constituency with political clashes involving prominent members of BJP, Goa Suraksha Manch and Congress. These clashes marred
the otherwise peaceful polls on Wednesday.
Allegations surfaced in two separate incidents at booth No 29 and booth No 9 involving former Panaji BJP MLA Siddharth Kuncalienkar with GSM and Congress accusing him of misbehavior and physical intimidation. Copies of these complaints have
been forwarded to the returning officer.
GSM election agent Atmaram Gaonkar has filed a complaint at the Panaji Police station stating that GSM vice president Govind Dev, a senior citizen, was manhandled by Kuncalienkar at booth No 9, near Nacional theatre in Panaji.
"Kuncalienkar suddenly came to our booth counter with a group of six to seven people and threatened them not to sit at the counters. He went on abusing our vice president and pushed him forcefully and finally caught the collar of Dev," GSM
has stated in its complaint seeking registration of an FIR gainst Kuncalienkar under the relevant sections of law.
The second incident occurred at booth No 29 at around 11.30 am outside Kamat Estate in Tonca, Panaji. Videos of the conflict which have emerged in the aftermath show Kuncalienkar quarreling with Mahila Congress president Pratima Coutinho and members Rita D'Souza, Diana Braganza and Farida Bandekar at Congress polling agent's table.
The situation was brought under control within an hour. To prevent deterioration of law and order, heavy police deployment was made along entire stretch of 100 mts around Kamat Estate till the conclusion of the polls.
In his complaint before the Panaji Police, Congress election agent Adv Rohit Bras de Sa has stated that at around 11.30 am, Mahila
Congress members D'Souza and Braganza were seated at the polling booth table along with two other party workers at Tonca. Kuncalienkar accompanied by Sheetal Dattaprasad Naik approached the table and allegedly caught hold of Braganza's hand in a ‘violent and inappropriate' manner, he charged.
The BJP members thereafter snatched the electoral roll from the table with Kuncalienkar threatening to have both the Mahila Congress members arrested and detained
overnight.
Mahila Congress president Coutinho said that Goa Forward supremo Vijai Sardessai, Atanasio "Babush" Monserrate and Akbar Mulla visited the spot in a four-wheeler. "They expressed inability to return our papers which
were taken by Kuncalienkar," she said.
Congress has requested the police to "investigate, recover the property of their workers and to book Kuncalienkar and Naik for
offences under the Indian Penal Code".
