ANJUNA: 24 hours after the threatening and assault on Herald reporter Asmita Polji and Saiprasad Kubde of the Goemkarponn web and e-paper, the assaulters who have been identified by the police are still at large.
Herald reporter Asmita Polji is the main complainant in the case who filmed the incident and has submitted the video footage to the police.
The video of the Anjuna goons who are reportedly connected with establishments that play loud music and have parties till the wee hours of the night with impunity, obviously with the protection of politicians and the law and order machinery, was handed over as evidence by the Herald reporter and is now the most important part of the investigation.
The Anjuna police have confirmed that they are known individuals. Yet the FIR filed, still states that the accused are unknown persons.
With the entire police administration involved in the mega swearing-in exercise of the Pramod Sawant government, the relatively simple exercise of affecting the arrests to start the investigations has been put on the back burner. DySP Uday Parab has promised to take the FIR forward and launched a manhunt to nab the accused but they are at large.
At least one of them, it is learned, has a criminal background, and has been arrested on serious criminal charges
The bars playing loud music went about their business, only a little quietly.
Meanwhile, the impact of the issue resulted in that the said bar and restaurant who had created nuisance in the locality were found playing music at lower volume giving relief to the people in the locality.
Alisha Dsa the complainant on noise pollution said, “After this incident, on Sunday volume of the music was lowered”.
On Sunday, the Anjuna Police team headed by PSI Sneha Sawal conducted panchama and recorded statements of the eyewitnesses.
Anjuna police inspector Prasham Desai said, “All the three accused persons are absconding. Two teams are formed, and search is on”.
It is almost unbelievable, eyewitnesses say that it takes so long to arrest the accused who are very well known and live in the same area.
On Saturday Asmita Polji of Herald and Saiprasad Kubde of Goemkarponn were threatened by a group of three persons when they had gone to cover a news story against the noise pollution issue.
Herald responded to the call of the sufferings of the common Goan, who simply were up against forces that were purportedly a law onto themselves
At around 6.20pm the reporters were returning after meeting the residents of St Anthony Praias Vaddo in Anjuna who have been fighting against the constant parties, loud music, and noise. The residents had reached out to the reporters.
The accused persons first stopped the journalist of Goenkarponn and demanded to know why he took videos of the bar/ hotel and went to the extent of threatening him with very dire consequences.
The Herald reporter started filming the threatening incident and got abused and threatened as well. As reported, the Anjuna police registered an offence against the three persons. It is also learned that one of the accused persons has a criminal history and is out on bail in an NDPS case.
