Team Herald
PANJIM: A day after a drug trafficking network inside Colvale jail was busted and four officials were suspended, activists and concerned citizens drew a direct connection between a spurt in crimes involving personnel in khaki and the cash-for-jobs scam, which has set the rot deep within the policing system, they said.
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Tuesday’s bust was the second such incident in recent times. Last month, Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) Constable Navdeep Pavni was caught attempting to bring contraband into the jail while reporting for duty.
John De’souza, a regular reader of OHeraldo, was amazed at the police’s lenient handling of such matters. “If police officers were found facilitating drug smuggling or possessing drugs, why were they merely suspended, and not arrested?” he questioned in a letter. “When civilians are involved in such cases, they are often arrested immediately. Why is there apparent leniency toward law enforcement officials in this case?”
Activist Rajan Ghate pointed to the systematic failures in the recruitment process. “The biggest question is whether the police department is functioning at all,” Ghate said. “This government has shown time and again that it cannot manage the Home Department. The real problem lies in how police officers are recruited. They pay huge bribes to secure their positions and, once in, they resort to criminal activities to recover those costs. This is why they can’t control crimes but are involved in protecting drug trade, sound polluters and other violators. These officers need to be dismissed immediately,” he demanded.
Xencor Polji, another activist, echoed Ghate and also linked the rise in police misconduct to the job scam. “This latest case is the second such drug smuggling incident in just one month. It’s the direct result of the job scam. Police are paying large sums of money to get recruited, and once they’re on the job, they start engaging in crimes to get back their investment,” Polji said.
Roshan Mathias, an outspoken critic of the system, linked the involvement of police officers in illegal activities to the deep-rooted political connections that shape recruitment practices. “The police are part of a system controlled by the ruling government. No officer is recruited without political influence, or without fulfilling other demands. This creates a culture where officers have to obey their political patrons, and corruption runs rampant,” Mathias said.
Mathias added that the need for reforms is urgent. “Goa needs a comprehensive Police Reforms Act to ensure transparency in recruitment, transfers, and promotions. Only then will the system work on merit, not on political connections.”
IG Prisons denies drug seizure at Colvale Jail, says it was tobacco
Inspector General of Prisons Ombir Singh Bishnoi has denied that drugs were seized in the Colvale Jail raid and claimed that only tobacco had been confiscated. “It was only tobacco, but that too is banned in jail. We are conducting an inquiry and if the accusations are proved, I will get them dismissed from services.”
