TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: The Goa police have finally posted a lady PSI to man the Margao Anti-Human Trafficking Unit, but questions are raised whether the lady PSI will hold exclusive charge of the Anti-Human Trafficking unit and the unmanned women cell as well.
District police chief Shekhar Prabhudessai said though the order issued by the SP, A K Gawas states that the lady PSI Puspalata P Borkar of Escort Cell, Vasco is transferred and posted to Anti Human trafficking unit, Margao, the lady PSI will also look after the Margao women cell as well.
When Herald contacted SP Prabhudesai to throw light on the posting of the Lady PSI, he said that since the Margao Anti Human Trafficking unit is headed by a Police inspector, the lady PSI will hold charge of both the Anti human trafficking cell and the women cell.
Interestingly, however, the order issued by SP Gawas makes no mention anything about the women cell as the Lady PSI’s brief is only to head the anti-Human trafficking unit.
Both the anti-Human Trafficking cell and the women cell are housed in a small cell behind the Margao police station in a police residential quarters.
Local NGOs and activists had been persistently demanding a full-fledged police officer to man the Margao women cell since the functioning of the cell has been badly hit for want of staff ever since the transfer of PSI Roopa Naik on promotion.
While women rights activist Auda Viegas had threatened to hold a dharna in the city in support of the demand for an officer to head the women cell, the NGO Amche Goem, Amcho Lok led by Felix Dias had petitioned to the Governor, Chief Minister, Law Commission and the DIG to depute a lady PSI to head the women cell. Dias has now demanded re-investigation of the pending cases with the women cell at the earliest.
