VASCO
Different organisations in the State have demanded an independent and time-bound inquiry into the deaths of three young members of a working-class family in Zuarinagar on Tuesday.
In a joint statement, Ranjan Solomon, president of National Confederation of Human Rights Organisations, Goa Unit (NCHRO) and Fr Savio Fernandes of the Council for Social Justice and Peace (CSJP) also questioned the treatment by Verna Police, alleging that it violated prevailing Supreme Court guidelines.
They pointed out that the announcement by the Superintendent of Police (South) to set up a separate inquiry by Margao SDPO Harish Madkaikar “smacks of wilful conspiracy to protect the police in uniform because such an inquiry would also call for the role of the Deputy Superintendent of Police Mormugao, and hence a police officer of the same rank cannot be appointed to conduct a departmental inquiry.”
The groups have also called upon the Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights to inquire into the grievance by the minor child of being picked up from Near MES College, Vasco, at odd hours of the night, being summoned to the Verna police station, and allegedly being intimidated at the police station.
The groups have demanded an independent time-bound commission of inquiry to inquire into the matter, and that the police inspector in charge of the police station and the remaining officers and officials handling or dealing with the case be suspended pending the inquiry.
The groups have also demanded that an independent commission of inquiry seize all possible evidence, including CCTV footage.
“Brash statements by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant such as that the criticism of police will not be tolerated, embolden the police to commit atrocities against citizens particularly from marginalised sections of society,” they added.
