MARGAO: Protests continued in Assolna for the second consecutive day on Wednesday over the alleged police assault on a key witness in the Amit Lotlikar fatal accident case.
Zaheer Sheikh, a witness in the accident case said he was fishing for crabs when the constables approached him and hit him with a belt, before damaging his helmet. They asked him if he would take the stand in the case and then assaulted him.
Reacting to the alleged assault on Sheikh by two police constables,
agitated residents demanded action against the cops and questioned why the police wanted to sabotage the investigations into the death of Murida, Cuncolim resident.
Incidentally, two months ago, Sheikh was assaulted on the same Cavelossim-Assolna bridge where Lotlikar met with the accident.
The Cuncolim police are under tremendous
pressure after their handling of the fatal accident cases in Ambaulim, Velim and the Lotlikar case. The then Police Inspector Ram Asre was transferred after Ambaulim residents, led by Dr Jorson Fernandes, held week-long protests. The police later handed over the case and the probe into the police’s negligence to the Crime Branch.
