Thirteen days after activist Rama Kankonkar was brutally as saulted, the police investigation appears to have hit a roadblock. Despite arresting eight sus pects, investigators remain un able to establish a clear motive or identify the mastermind — primarily because Kankonkar has yet to give his statement. “The police keep coming every day to take my state ment, but I have not agreed to give them one as I am still un able to remember exactly what transpired on that day. I get flashbacks and am still not able to recollect the incident frame by frame,” said Kankonkar, speaking after a physiother apy session in his VIP suite at Ward 128 of Goa Medical College (GMC). “If I do not take my sleeping pill at night, I cannot sleep as flashes of that afternoon keep playing on and off in my mind. I think I will wait for a few more days and once I feel stable, I will give my statement,” he added, lines of pain still etched across his face. Even as activists question the pace and direction of the probe, Panjim Police Station In spector Vijaykumar Chodankar appeared unfazed by the criticism.
“Since the beginning, the Investigating Officer (IO) has been going to GMC and returning with a written undertaking from the doctor that Rama is fit to give a statement. When we approach Rama, he says he is not ready. We have been re peating the exercise every day,” said Chodankar. “The Deputy Collector also visited him and asked him for a statement, but he refused,” Chodankar added. While Kankonkar undergoes regular physio therapy, doctors monitoring his condition be lieve he is gradually recovering. Neurosurgeon Dr Abhijit Parab, who visited him during one such session, said: “Your MRI shows a minor clot which is of no worry. The clot will dissolve in time. Your eye may need time and for that you will see an ophthalmologist,” he informed Kankonkar, flashing a torch into his eyes. A medico-legal officer who initially examined him concurred: “There is no doubt he got a good beating, but it wasn’t life-threatening. It will take him another week to get back to normal and be discharged.” Still weak, Rama acknowledged the doctors with a soft “thank you” as they handed him a bouquet. He continued to struggle to stand un assisted. His physiotherapy began on Sunday and is ex pected to continue for several more days. Meanwhile, a senior police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, addressed the rising public criticism. “There have been a lot of accu sations going around on social media that we are not doing our job despite arresting eight people. They claim we are trying to shield the real per petrators and hide the motive, which is untrue,” the officer said. Echoing this concern, a senior official from the Ministry of Home Affairs added: “The truth that no one knows is that he (Rama) has still not given us his statement and that unless we have it, we are staring at a blank ceiling. We need to know both sides of the story to get to a conclu sive point.” According to Rama’s friend Soiru Velip — who was present during the assault and later at the hospital — there’s a reason for the delay. “Rama gets tired after speaking for a few minutes and his thoughts are still incoherent. That is one rea son why we thought it would be best if he gave his statement when he is mentally stronger. If he gives half a statement now and later if he is not allowed to add anything more, it will defeat the purpose,” Velip explained. Confusion and frustration are mounting, even among Rama’s supporters. While doctors have declared him medically fit to record a statement, his continued silence has raised eyebrows. “I will stand by what Rama states because he has felt — and is still feeling — the pain. How ever, that should not stop the police from doing their work. By now, they should have enough CDR information and other material to connect the dots,” said Leader of the Opposition Yuri Ale mao. SabitaMascarenhas, former Sarpanch of Sar zora and fellow activist agreed that the full pic ture is necessary. “Both sides of the coin need to be known,” she said, but added, “Rama needs time to recover. It is a difficult situation to be in”.
