Recently a police constable was dismissed from service for having being in cahoots with criminals. He is alleged to have been in a nexus with criminals and this fact came to light when the Bicholim police arrested a chain-snatcher who spilled the beans. There was a quick departmental enquiry and a rapid action to get the constable out of service for such a serious nexus with anti-social elements. Citizens would like to know if the constable would be tried and punished for his alleged crimes? Will he be given an opportunity to defend himself and clear his name if he is innocent? Incidentally, before joining the police force there would have been a background check and it is odd that the constable’s antecedents did not come to light. Reports mention that as per the dismissal order, considering the links and contacts that the constable had, it is not practical to hold an enquiry as no witness would come forward due to fear. This pretext does not hold water for there have been more serious crimes in Goa and elsewhere that involved bigger criminals who although had powerful contacts and godfathers were arrested, tried and punished. If the above explanation is an excuse for not conducting a thorough investigation then it is unfair to the dismissed constable and difficult to weed out rotten apples (if any) in the police force.
