PANAJI
Close to two months in custody, BJP leader and Tik Tok star Sonali Phogat’s accused “ Sudhir Sangwan and Sukhwinder Singh’s legal team claimed that “family and media pressure” forced Goa Police to register a case of murder. Two senior counsels from Charkhidadri (Haryana) and Gurgaon were in Goa when the murder suspects were later produced before the Mapusa Court for an extension of their judicial remand.Phogat’s personal assistant Sangwan and his associate Singh were arrested by the Goa Police on August 25, two days after she died of a suspected drug overdose at Anjuna. Sources said that their lawyers have claimed that Phogat’s death was an accident. “She wasn’t murdered nor was there any intention to kill her. The Goa Police was bogged down by the family and media pressure to charge Sangwan and Singh with murder,” a source, closely associated with the legal team, said.
Presently in judicial lock-up at Colvale Central Jail, the accused’s side of the story has been revealed for the very first time since their arrest on charges of murder and drugging the politician. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Delhi which took over the case on September 12, interrogated them for 20 days from September 22 to October 12.
With the CBI charge sheet expected shortly after the Diwali festival, the alleged accused will approach the District & Sessions Court seeking conditional bail.
Phogat was brought dead to a private hospital in Anjuna, hours after she was allegedly drugged thrice in the resort and Curlies beach shack restaurant on August 22-23. The Anjuna police’s initial theory of a fatal heart attack was dismissed by an autopsy report that confirmed injuries. A further investigation revealed that she was forcibly intoxicated. The politician’s family back in Hisar demanded the arrest of the two accused and a CBI probe. Three other accused including Edwin Nunes, who is believed to be the owner of Curlies, were arrested for the drug trade and bailed out thereafter.
The Ministry of Home Affairs was soon to accept the Goa government’s request to hand over the high-profile case to the central agency.
