First the Sonali Phogat alleged murder on August 23, then the Allan D’Souza case in Arpora, the Mohammad Aga’s Mandovi Bridge accident case, the Curchorem shootout at an illegal sand mining site and to top it all, allegations of non-cooperation from Hyderabad police in investigating drug peddling cases.
Given the severity of the crimes, as expected a political slugfest unfolded with questions raised on the credibility of Goa Police as it showed lackadaisical behaviour in the investigation of all the cases and alleged lawlessness in the State. Also, political parties have been demanding that the Chief Minister resign as Home Minister of the state and hand over charge to a full-time dedicated minister.
The Sonali Phogat case, however, has brought the drug menace to the centrestage with Curlies restaurant once again in the limelight, which it infamously enjoyed for a long period since 2008 after British teenager Scarlett Eden Keeling’s rape and murder.
With Hyderabad Police’s top cop making startling allegations that some of the kingpins of the drug trade shifting base to Goa, genuine questions are raised about the ability of Goa Police in cracking the underground network of kingpins and peddlers.
While the demand for a full-time, dedicated Home Minister would seem fair, it would be disservice to the men in uniform to completely charge at them and look the other way when it comes to their service and duty to the State.
Despite all odds against them, statistics reveal that Goa Police have some of the best records as far as crime detection is concerned. The State police have over the years been able to top the list in the country with more than 90 per cent of the crimes being detected and the judicial process underway.
However, as witnessed in the Phogat case, political clout decides the fate of the investigation. It is no secret that Phogat being a leader of the BJP ensured that the investigation gained momentum with the Chief Minister of Haryana too taking keen interest in the progress of the case.
On the other hand, the Siddhi Naik case has been dumped in the cold storage and the Crime Branch filed a closure report after one year of the incident. Naik’s father has time and again alleged that the police are protecting the culprits under political clout.
A step further, the cops have even gone to the extent of resorting to alleged brutality as suffered by Siddhant Raul in July for traffic violation, and farmer-activist Hanumant Parab in March earlier this year inside Valpoi police station.
There is no doubt that Goa Police needs an urgent overhaul but it cannot be achieved by handcuffing the personnel to the political masters. The Goa Police Reforms Bill 2008 is the most significant baton that has been passed on by consecutive governments ever since it was tabled on August 25, 2008, in the Goa Assembly.
The Bill has envisaged the formation of three units which will be pillars of the police system: a) A police commission which will be an ombudsman to oversee police functioning and keep a tab on reform; b) A police establishment board which will oversee recruitments, promotions and transfers; and c) Most importantly, a Police Accountability Authority, which will monitor and act on the conduct of all policemen especially cases of police atrocities and death and violence in custody as well as grievous hurt in police custody under Section 320 of the IPC.
As long as the recruitments, transfers and promotions stay within the realm of the political interference, the lackadaisical behaviour of the police force and the public’s trust deficit will continue.
