TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: A mini-bus driver who was allegedly bashed up by a mob of around 25 locals at Calangute on Monday, has sought an inquiry against the concerned investigating officer, accusing him of hushing up the case.
In his letter to North SP Priyanka Kashyap, Bijapur-native Revu Rathod alleged that the police made deliberate attempts to register the assault case as non-cognisable to shield the assailants.
“The Inquiry Officer in the matter has done his best to dilute the evidence on the level of injuries to screen the offenders who brutally attacked me physically with their hands as well as wooden sticks. The concerned police officer is hand in glove with some of the taxi drivers…has failed to record complete facts of the incident, a part of which happened in their presence, thereby suppressing facts vital to a fair and just investigation,” the letter, a copy of which is with Herald had accessed, states.
The unidentified locals, who the complainant says were local taxi drivers, had also threatened his tourist passengers –11 Russian nationals, to leave Goa.
Rathod said he had complained of severe pain while he was also bleeding profusely but the Calangute police did not allow him to seek medical help and was asked to give his initials on blank white papers.
After nearly 24 hours of the incident when he was allowed, he went to the Asilo hospital that diagnosed fracture on his left hand besides other injuries.
The primary health centre where he was initially taken by the police had instead released him saying they were simple injuries.
