MARGAO: Fresh row has erupted over the arrest of Brazilian FC Chennaiyan player Eleno Blumer with the Margao police intimating the Immigration department with a plea not to allow the accused player to leave the country over his failure to surrender his passport, even as Eleno’s lawyer Adv Rajiv Gomes slammed the police for insisting on Eleno’s passport when the Court has not mentioned any such condition in the order while granting him bail.
The latest action by the Margao police comes in the backdrop of reports that the FC Chennaiyin players had left the state after winning the ISL finals against FC Goa at the Nehru Stadium in Fatorda on Sunday.
Margao PI CL Patil told 'The Goan' that since the Brazilian player, who had been arrested by the police for allegedly assaulting and abusing Dattaraj Salgaocar at the Nehru stadium after the finals, has failed to surrender his passport to the police, which has set in motion the process to intimate the Immigration department with a plea not to allow Eleno to leave the country.
When asked why the police has insisted on the surrender of passport when the Court has not imposed any condition while ordering the release of Eleno from police custody, Margao Sub-divisional Police Officer DySP Dinraj Govekar said the Investigation Officer has the discretion to impose any condition as part of the ongoing investigation into the case. “Though the court might not have imposed any condition while releasing Eleno, the IO is within the law to insist on the accused to surrender his passport as part of the investigations,” DySP Govekar said.
When 'The Goan' contacted PI Patil to shed light on the letter written by the police to the accused to hand over his passport at the police station, he said the passport was required to be surrendered as part of the investigations. “The Margao police had last (Sunday) night asked the accused to hand over his passport, but since the accused has not done so, the police has initiated the exercise to intimate the Immigration authorities with a plea to stop the accused from leaving the country,” PI Patil said.
Eleno’s lawyer, Adv Rajiv Gomes, however, slammed the police for meting out harassment to the Chennaiyan player from Brazil when the court has ordered his release without any conditions.
“How can the police insist on the surrender of the passport when the court has not insisted on any such condition. More ever, the police should understand that conditions cannot be imposed by the police in a bailable offense,” Adv Gomes said.
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POLICE CONTENTION
* The Investigating Officer has the discretion to impose any condition
* The passport is required to be surrendered as part of the investigation
PLAYER'S ARGUMENT
* Police cannot insist on surrender of passport when the court has not imposed any such condition
* Conditions cannot be imposed by the police in a bailable offense
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ISL INCIDENT
UNACCEPTABLE:
PRAFUL PATEL
>> See pg 16
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FC GOA LIKELY TO FACE
DISCIPLINARY ACTION
* FC Goa is likely to face disciplinary action for their "unsporting behaviour" after the brawl that followed the Indian Super League final at Nehru Stadium, Fatorda on Sunday night
* The league bosses have issued a statement saying that they have referred the matter to their disciplinary committee
>> See pg 16
