PANJIM: The opposition Congress has taken strong exception to the police making inquiries about who hired the private buses to ferry people for the Save Mhadei Save Goa public meeting held in Sankhali Constituency on January 16.
Aldona Congress MLA Adv Carlos Alvares Ferreira said that some private bus operators approached him stating that the policemen attached to the Crime Branch were contacting the private bus owners, seeking to know the names of those, who hired or booked their buses to ferry people for the meeting.
“The police from Crime Branch are contacting private bus owners who had ferried people for the massive public meeting held to save Mhadei River and are collecting data. The police are asking them details like who had booked their buses and how many people boarded their buses to attend public meeting held at Virdi-Amona,” he said adding, “This is completely wrong and it is not job of the police. If police are trying to do such type of policing then it is contrary to the rights of a citizen and freedom of movement.”
Adv Ferreira alleged that the government is using Goa police to seek details and apprehended that the government would harass and victimise these stage-carriage operators when they visit the transport department for renewal of their permits.
Demanding that the police should stop taking orders from political masters, Adv Ferreira said that he will soon write to the Director General of Police (DGP), to know whether the police department has issued such an order and if so, to withdraw it immediately.
