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FOUL PLAY
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MARGAO: Why is the Fatorda police still dragging its feet on the complaint lodged by Seby D’Souza 12 days ago, seeking justice for his son Lester, allegedly brutally assaulted by the two police officers -- Raunak Kadam and Dattaprasad Toraskar at the Nehru stadium on November 8?
Was the probe initiated by DGP Muktesh Chander a ploy to scuttle the inquiry by Fatorda police into Seby’s complaint against the police officials? And, what has prevented the Fatorda police from registering an FIR against the police officers based on Seby’s complaint as video footage that had gone viral shows the brutal assault on Lester inside the play field? These and other questions have come to the fore as football fans turned up in large numbers to cheer their home team FC Goa against Bengaluru at the Nehru stadium on Thursday.
When 'The Goan' called up Fatorda police station in-charge, PI Navlesh Desai on Thursday to find out the status of the police inquiry into Seby’s complaint, he sought to pass the buck, saying the DGP has ordered an inquiry into the incident. Questions are raised in legal circles whether the DGP’s inquiry in any manner prevent the Fatorda police to take its own inquiry to its logical conclusion.
Sources in the know say that the DGP’s inquiry may help initiate disciplinary proceedings against the policemen. Fatorda police, however, are silent when asked to shed light on the criminal complaint lodged against the erring officials, more so when the video footage shows that the Anjuna-based family were in the custody of the policemen after they were taken on the play field from the stands.
District police Chief, SP Arvind Gawas has promised to shed light on the case at a later date since he was preoccupied with bandobast on Thursday.
In his complaint lodged with the Fatorda police on November 10, Seby had stated how the security officer in white t-shirt, who was later identified as PSI Raunak Kadam abused the family when they were taking photographs after the match. “Raunak and three other male security officers came towards us and began pushing us violently. As they were pushing my wife, my son resisted them only to be assaulted by PSI Raunak. At this time, one more security officer came from the football ground (later identified as PSI Dattaprasad) and caught my son from behind before they along with other personnel brutally assaulted Lester with fist blows on his face, neck, abdomen and other parts of the body,” he stated.
