PANAJI
The Special Investigation Team of the Crime Branch on Friday questioned Roy Naik, son of former Chief Minister and Ponda MLA Ravi Naik, for over an hour in the alleged politician-police-drug mafia nexus.
Earlier in the day, the Sessions Court dismissed his anticipatory bail plea questioning its maintainability as there is no FIR in this matter.
Superintendent of Police (Crime) Kartik Kashyap said Roy was quizzed by officers at the Ribandar office. Since the questioning remained inconclusive, he will be summoned again soon, Kashyap added.
The State government had constituted the SIT in 2017 to probe into a House Committee Report on the alleged politician-police-drug mafia nexus. The House panel headed by then Nuvem MLA Francisco Pacheco had also named Ravi Naik, besides his son Roy and some top police officials.
PSI Sunil Gudlar and PI Ashish Shirodkar, whose names had surfaced in the report, have already faced action. The SIT is now probing the politician angle.
Meanwhile, the opposition Congress party has termed this questioning as vindictive politics by the BJP-led government. “Now, more cases will come up against at least two or three of our legislators before the Goa assembly session and it is not new,” Congress leader and Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco, said.
Lourenco said that BJP cannot tolerate criticism, so they are stifling democracy. The BJP has its own agenda of having its own way, indulge in corruption and at the same time call others thieves, he chided.
Lourenco said, with the seizure of ketamine from the factory belonging to the ruling party’s senior member and office bearer, the government had lost all moral ground to file cases against Congressmen and summon Roy for questioning.
