The recent case of police high-handedness in Marcel has once again stained the uniform. The owner of a fast food restaurant in Marcel, Viraj Marcelkar, was subjected to merciless thrashing by a police Head Constable named Sameer Fadte and his accomplices over a trivial matter. The entire assault was captured by the shop’s CCTV cameras. Seven persons have been booked for assault, including three police personnel – Head Constable Fadte attached to Ponda police station, Akash Narvekar – a constable from Anti-Narcotics Cell, and IRB constable Mitesh Gaad. The other four accused are Mohit Gaad, who is said to be the brother of Mitesh Gaad, Supresh Savardekar, Vivek Desai and Asmit Salunkhe, friends of the accused the Head Constable.
Meanwhile, in another incident, a Police Inspector of Goa Police was detained by Dodamarg Police for allegedly assaulting a person across the border. Goa Police personnel have been gaining notoriety over the years with social media platforms flooded with videos and posts of police involved in scams and their high-handedness.
In September last year, Siolim MLA Delilah Lobo made a startling accusation that the Goa Police could be involved in the flesh trade in the State. The accusation had come in the backdrop of an international human trafficking racket busted by an NGO, ARZ, which then compelled the police to act. A constable was suspended in the case. O Heraldo had exposed how the local police turned a blind eye to the fact that the main accused, Kenyan Maria Corsava, was living in Anjuna for five years without a passport or a visa. It is hard to believe that the local intelligence didn’t know about these activities. That raises a very important introspective question for the Goa Police: Is the intelligence bureau even functional?
Then you had junior ranking officers suspended, one for alleged extortion on behalf of a politician and another in the sex racket cases.
The disaster did not end there, a senior IPS officer, A Koan, was caught on camera molesting a young woman in a nightclub. He was suspended from service two days later and then transferred.
A couple of months earlier, another scam by the Goa Police was exposed. The police personnel on traffic duty were directing the traffic challan money to their personal coffers by instructing the violator to scan the UPI QR code and transfer the money into the account. While in Colva the money was routed to the cops through a wine store, in Agasaim it was usurped through a mechanic. Besides, many other mechanisms are unknown, wherein the violators paid the fine but were not handed out a challan.
The falling standard of the police force has led to a collapse of faith and trust in the system. The Goa Police does not command respect or fear anymore, as citizens are aghast at the misbehaviour of those in uniform. Thus, it is vital for the government and the Goa Police to reflect upon the future of law enforcement, and the law and order situation to be anticipated if the current trend of lawlessness continues within the system.
It is a known fact that recruitments and promotions are backed by political clout. However, one expects that while recruiting personnel in the future, the antecedents of the applicants will be thoroughly checked and only those with no criminal or other blot on their personality will be chosen. The police force cannot be a club of goons-in-uniform, who are recruited based on political favouritism only to serve themselves and their masters. The men in uniform are expected to uphold a high moral compass, who can be influencers of good citizenry and lead by example.
The sliding ranking of the State concerning its capacity to deliver access to justice is increasingly diminishing the faith of the people in the system. When those who have been entrusted with the responsibility to protect turn rogue and begin to decay the system from within, then it is time for the government to reassure the people of the State by setting exemplary punishment as envisaged in the rule books. The government can no further point fingers at external factors and shield rogue cops, and dream of zero crime in the State.
The 14th Chief Justice of the United States of America, Earl Warren in 1959 said, “The police must obey the law while enforcing the law.” Unfortunately, the image of the trustworthy men-in-uniform in Goa is tarnished due to the unlawful acts of their comrades.
