Team Herald
PANJIM: A month ago an inquiry was ordered against controversial officer in the ‘disciplined’ police force DySP Sagar Ekoskar for allegedly brutally assaulting a farmer activist at Pissurlem mid-last month. Former Director-General of Police Indra Dev Shukla had directed that the district superintendent of police to inquire into the incident and submit a report to him at the earliest.
One month down the line, the incident and the inquiry appear to have been forgotten. The department is tight-lipped over the entire episode while the deputy superintendent of police is still posted at Valpoi and Bicholim sub-division. Significantly, he escaped suspension or removal from that particular posting, which otherwise is the protocol during an inquiry against a policeman.
Frustrated and fed the farmer activist Hanumant Parab, who recently narrated his version of how he was “brutally beaten up by the Valpoi PI and DySP Ekoskar”, wrote to the Chief Secretary, Puneet Kumar Goel, on April 11, has sought his intervention after he failed to get relief, as promised by the law enforcing department.
The subject line of the letter is telling: “Deadly, unprovoked assault and violence by DySP Ekoskar and PI Fadte inside Valpoi Police Station and gross atrocities against farmers”.
Parab further appealed to Chief Secretary Goel, “This is to request for your kind intervention in the complete apathy displayed by the government to the plight of farmers of Pissurlem village, Sattari taluka, and the violence and the gross misuse of powers used by police officers against peaceful protesting farmers,” he said, as he recalled the incident that unfolded prior to the brutal assault.
In a previous complaint to the department against the DySP and PI Prajyot Fadte, the activist had accused the duo and some other policemen of beating him mercilessly inside the dark police lockup for nearly half an hour. His voice, he said, could be heard outside the police station but the policemen refused to even rush him to the hospital to stop his bleeding.
All this places a question mark on whether any such action was really initiated against DySP Ekoskar and PI Phadte.
The then DGP had last month told Herald that although till March 14 evening no official complaint had been filed, he had ordered an inquiry-based on an internal report and media reports. “I have asked North Superintendent of Police (Nidhin Valsan holding an additional charge) to inquire into the episode,” he had told Herald.
Sources said that an inquiry was recommended against DySP Ekoskar based on the events that unfolded during the protest in the mining village.
While the former DGP, who superannuated on March 31, 2022, thereafter avoided questions on the status of the investigation, the current team of police officers also prefers to remain mum on the issue.
DGP Jaspal Singh, who took charge last week, said he will study the matter. “I am not privy to the matter. I will study the matter only after which I can comment,” he said on being contacted by Herald to get an update on the inquiry.
