09 Dec 2022  |   07:37am IST

Porvorim police take (law)yer into their own hands

Head constable brutally attacks lawyer in the home of his client in a civil property matter, victim suffers grievous head injuries and fractured skull, kept kicking him on way to police station

Team Herald

PANJIM:  Yet another act of police brutality was reported, wherein Adv Gajanand Sawant was allegedly assaulted by Porvorim Police on Thursday.

The assault caused widespread rage among the lawyers’ community following which an emergency meeting has been convened on Friday. 

Adv Sawant has suffered grievous injuries to his head and a fractured skull after being assaulted with a blunt object.

Narrating the brutal incident to reporters in GMC, Sawant said, “On receiving a call from his client, I had gone to site where his client was being dispossessed from his residential flat. There is a civil suit pending in the matter. This is a civil matter. You can’t use criminal force to dispossess anyone with force.” 

Sawant said, “I told the head constable and four other policemen at the spot that they cannot use force to dispossess. After a discussion for 10 minutes, the Head Constable pushed me off to the side and assaulted me with a wooden plank.”

“I was further pushed into a police vehicle while being assaulted with kicks. They assaulted me even while I was being taken to police station,” Sawant said.

Demanding the immediate arrest of the accused police official, the Advocates’ Association said the said head constable has been involved in similar assault cases in the past.

Lawyers who came in support of Adv Sawant said, “If this happens to advocates, imagine the plight of the common man. The erring policeman has to be arrested immediately.”

Criminal lawyer from Mapusa, Adv Vinayak Parab said, “Sawant has a grievous injury to his jaw and his skull has swelling. He is undergoing treatment in Goa Medical College and Hospital, Bambolim. We are not going to take this lying down.”