Team Herald
PANJIM: Seven years after having filed a complaint against Sports Minister Ramesh Tawadkar, then an opposition MLA, Canacona Police are yet to file a chargesheet in the case.
In April 2009 Canacona police had filed a case against Tawadkar for rioting at Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary.
Tawadkar was booked under Sections 143, 147,451,353,224 and 225 read with Section 149 of the Indian Penal Code.
Sources said that the file pertaining to the approval to chargesheet Tawadkar is pending before the Superintendent of Police South Goa Shekhar Prabhudesai. Canacona Police said there is enough evidence to frame charges against Tawadkar but they are awaiting approval.
As per the complaint of then Range Forest Officer of Cotigao Wildlife Range Paresh Porob, the then MLA along with others had barged into the office of the Range Forest Officer at Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary and forcibly taken away two accused, who were in custody of the Range Forest Officer for trespassing in the wildlife area.
Sources in the Forest department and police said that the accused apprehended by Porob were natives of Hottegali, Karnataka, and were involved in liquor smuggling through the border areas of Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary. Hottegali in Karwar is situated on the border of Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary and some of the people from the area are allegedly involved in liquor smuggling as there is a major difference in liquor rates between the two states.
However, further investigations were stalled after Tawadkar allegedly intervened and forcefully took the accused from Porob’s custody.
Advocate Aires Rodrigues who was instrumental in sending Nuvem MLA Francisco (Mickky) Pacheco to jail for assaulting an electricity engineer has now taken up the Tawadkar case.
Rodrigues has served legal notice on the Chief Secretary and Director General of Goa Police to chargesheet Tawadkar within a week or face legal action.
Rodrigues has alleged that Tawadkar is being shielded because he is a well-connected ruling party politician and minister.
