AUGUSTO RODRIGUES
PANJIM: Sixty-six-year-old Mangal Narvekar’s cry for justice for her son, who serves in the police force, is a stark reminder to all in Goa: if the police themselves cannot get justice, what hope is there for the common man?
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The realisation that the police cannot be entrusted with protecting their own struck Mangal when officers failed to arrest the man allegedly responsible for grievously assaulting her son, Rohan Narvekar, while he was on duty in the early hours of May 1.
Rohan, attached to the Quepem Police Station as a PC driver, filed a supplementary complaint on May 9, 2025 — eight days after the incident — against Joyson Fernandes and six unknown persons. The charges included obstructing a public servant from discharging lawful duties, using abusive language, and assault causing grievous injury, filed under Sections 221, 352, 132, 121(1), 116 read with 3(5) of the BNS.
Police records show that while four individuals were arrested and later released on bail following the initial complaint filed by Rohan’s senior, Joyson — allegedly the primary aggressor — was not among them.
It was only after Rohan filed his supplementary complaint that Joyson applied for anticipatory bail on May 13, which was promptly granted, leaving many junior officers dismayed.
“Despite assaulting our colleague, the accused Joyson was seen roaming freely. We even shared a photo of his birthday celebrations with the investigating PI, but he kept saying the accused couldn’t be located,” said a policeman, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“This may affect the morale of the force, but let’s look at it as a one-off incident. Look at the bigger picture before drawing negative conclusions,” admitted Quepem SDPO Ashish Shirodkar.
But the ‘bigger picture’, according to activist and researcher Swapnesh Sherlekar, paints a more troubling reality. “The police have sadly been reduced to little more than security personnel, deployed for any petty, illegal, unethical or unholy job in the name of duty,” he said.
“We’ve seen cases where police staff were assaulted, and the culprits walk free on anticipatory bail as though nothing happened. These incidents are deeply demoralising and depressing for the lower ranks,” Sherlekar added.
For Rohan’s mother and his friends in Quepem, the manner in which Joyson Fernandes was allowed to walk free – even after allegedly accosting a PSI from Curchorem days earlier – has severely shaken their confidence.
“I have heard of this incident, and it’s definitely damaging to the morale of any force. However, I’m currently busy and still need to look into the finer details. I will call back later,” said South Goa SP Tikam Singh Verma. At the time of going to press, he had not responded.
“The way the lower staff are used can be clearly seen in incidents such as the demolition of the Shree Khapreshwar Temple at Porvorim and destruction of private property at Anjuna reportedly under the supervision of Calangute MLA Michael Lobo and his wife Delilah,” Sherlekar added.
“It’s clear from the way the person who attacked my son is being protected by his superiors that something is not right,” lamented Mangal.
“My son went to protect his superior, got abused and assaulted, had to be hospitalised and spend days at home recovering, while the man who attacked him walks around freely. And now his boss is making excuses,” she said.
