MAPUSA
Congress MLA Carlos Ferreira on Tuesday rocked the Goa Legislative Assembly with a series of explosive allegations of corruption, alleged police misconduct and inaction in cases involving police personnel, prompting Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to order inquiries and assure that action would be taken within three days.
Raising the allegations during the discussion on the State’s law-and-order situation, Ferreira questioned how the government could expect the police to effectively tackle crime when, according to him, corruption and unethical practices had allegedly taken root within the department.
“How can you take action on criminals, let alone contain crime in the State, when the rot has set in your police department and the government has no will to clean its stable?” Ferreira asked.
Without naming the officials, Ferreira cited a series of specific cases which, he alleged, pointed to serious irregularities within the police establishment.
He alleged that a head clerk in the D/E section was misusing his position by allegedly insisting that police personnel or officials against whom complaints were received purchase two LIC policies from his wife, who is an LIC agent.
Ferreira alleged that the clerk would then recommend closure of the complaints, irrespective of whether they were genuine or bogus.
The Congress MLA also alleged that an LDC attached to the Special Recruitment Cell was known for allegedly collecting money for Home Guard recruitment and was operating in league with a prospective BJP candidate from South Goa.
Ferreira further alleged that the LDC had recently purchased a high-end Tata Harrier which, he claimed, could not have been bought from the official income of the employee.
He also recalled raising in the Assembly the case of Police Constable Gauresh Naik, alleging that he had provided evidence of disproportionate assets against the constable but that no action had been taken.
Ferreira then turned his attention to the alleged smuggling of drugs into the Colvale Central Jail, contrasting the treatment meted out to a Home Guard with that of a police constable.
He said a Home Guard was recently arrested and an FIR registered after she was allegedly caught attempting to take drugs into the jail.
However, Ferreira alleged that Police Constable Suhas Ulhas Madkaikar from Kudne, who was allegedly caught attempting to smuggle drugs into Colvale jail on April 16, had neither been arrested nor faced action despite an FIR having been registered and a chargesheet filed.
The allegations put the government on the defensive, with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant intervening and assuring the House that the cases raised by Ferreira would be examined.
Sawant said an inquiry would be ordered into all the cases cited by the Congress MLA and assured that action would be taken within the next three days in accordance with law.
