VALPOI
Valpoi police on Tuesday arrested eight persons and also booked 10 others, including Honda Sarpanch Shivdas Madkar and Panch Krishna Gaonkar, and 400 unknown persons, in connection with violence outside the Honda police outpost late Sunday night, which led to protestors torching a car carrying fireworks outside the police outpost.
Valpoi police acted on a complaint filed by Rupesh Poke of Honda-Sattari, who accused Shivdas Madkar, Krishna Gaonkar, Gautam Parsekar, 7 other known persons and 400 others unknown persons of forming unlawful assembly and criminally trespassing the premises of the Honda police outpost.
Poke claimed that he was criminally intimidated and assaulted, while his car was damaged over the issue of playing music on the eve of Diwali and due to previous enmity.
In this connection, Valpoi police registered offences under 189(2), 191(2), 115(2), (4)324, 329 (3), 352, 351, 109 BNS r/w 190 BNS.
Police said eight persons have been arrested so far and are in police custody, while efforts are on to arrest the remaining accused persons, as investigations are in progress.
Tension had erupted on the eve of Diwali festivities in Honda, as loud music was being played near the residence of Rupesh Poke at Honda.
After Poke contacted the police stating that loud music was being played outside his house, a police team had gone to the site and had stopped the music. However, after the police team left, loud music resumed at the site after 10.30 pm.
Poke then filed a written complaint at the Honda police outpost. Angered by his complaint, an estimated 400 people rushed to the Honda police outpost and caused tension in the area.
Besides allegedly pelting stones, the protestors damaged Poke’s car which was parked outside the police outpost and later set ablaze the vehicle, which was carrying fireworks. A video of the car being set ablaze went viral on social media, sparking off angry reactions from leaders and public alike.
Poke also claimed that he had been threatened and assaulted, while also alleging that some panch members of Honda Panchayat were among the protestors and involved in the incident outside the police outpost.
When asked by reporters in Panaji to comment on the incident outside the Honda police outpost, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said he had directed police to take strict action in the matter and that, no one would be spared.
Acting on his directives, senior police officials visited the Honda police outpost to take stock of the matter.
Incidentally, sources said the CCTV cameras had been out of order at the Honda police outpost for about a year. Incidentally, the Honda panchayat is located adjacent to the police outpost and the Valpoi police seized CCTV footage from the panchayat.
Sources also added that police presence has been stepped up at the Honda panchayat and the police outpost following the incident.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane also held discussions with police officials and directed them to take strict action against those setting the car ablaze outside the police outpost and for causing trouble at the site.
18 booked for ruckus on Narkasur night
PANAJI: A group of 18 persons were booked by Panaji police for allegedly forming an unlawful assembly and obstructing police personnel from discharging their duties during Narkasur night celebrations at Mala, on Sunday.
According to the complaint lodged by the police on behalf of the State, the accused, identified as organisers of Narkasur effigies, allegedly pushed police personnel and restrained them from carrying out their lawful duties. The incident occurred when the staff responded to a PCR call over loud music in the area.
An FIR has been registered under Sections 189(3), 189(5), 191(2), 132, and 126(2) read with 190 of BNS.
