PANJIM: Wednesday, the voting day, witnessed some chaos with complaints and counter complaints being filed against party workers in Panjim. The town police, confirming receipt of the complaints, have asked both parties to produce evidence to initiate inquiries.
The first complaint, filed by Congress, alleged that former Panjm MLA Siddharth Kunkalienkar and a CCP Corporator ‘snatched’ the electoral roll from the possession of a Mahila Congress worker seated with another at the booth table. “Kunkalienkar along with (CCP Corporator) approached the booth table and violently in a very inappropriate manner caught hold of (the worker’s name) hand and immediately thereafter snatched the electoral roll from the table. Kunkalienkar thereafter threatened to have both the Congress workers arrested and detained overnight,” states a complaint filed by Congress candidate Girish Chodankar’s election agent Rohit Braz D’Sa.
The complainant claimed that minister Vijai Sardesai and Goa Forward leader Atanasio Monserrate had approached the site of the incident. Sources also said that there was a complaint of manhandling of a woman too.
The BJP thereafter lodged a counter complaint against Coutinho, and other Congress workers including Farida Bandekar, Vishal Bandekar, Sunita Verekar, Rita D’Souza and Diana Braganza.
“They (naming all in the complaint) approached me threateningly and intimidating me not to vote. When I resisted, two of the male workers Vishal Bandekar and Urfan Mulla tried to physically snatch the papers from my hand and in the process caught my hand. The group wrongfully restrained me,” the CCP corporator said in the complaint also alleging outraging of her modesty.
She claimed that Kunkalienkar intervened to help her in which Coutinho threatened to lodge a false complaint and implicate them in the case.
Police Inspector Siddhant Shirodkar confirmed receiving the complaints. “We will begin an inquiry tomorrow (Thursday) and have asked respective parties submit evidence,” he said.
Goa Suraksha Manch has also filed a complaint against Kunkalienkar for manhandling party’s vice president. Police also registered a non-cognizable complaint against the party for erecting the symbol outside a polling booth.
