TEAM HERALD
MARGAO/ PONDA: Relatives of deceased Vedashri Parab on Tuesday staged a dharna in front of the Margao police station demanding justice in the suicide case.
Vedashri Parab (32) and her daughter Yashashvi Parab (5) had allegedly committed suicide by jumping off the Zuari Bridge on Tuesday. The bodies were recovered on Thursday, while Vedashri’s mother Laxmi Gawas, filed a police complaint accusing Vedashri’s husband and her in-laws of harassment.
Led by her mother Laxmi and women right’s activist Tara Kerkar, the protestors demanded to know why the police have not yet arrested Vedhasri’s husband and in laws despite the complaint lodged against them eight days ago.
They demanded to know why the police have not verified the details of Vedashri’s phone call details of the last one year and that of Yogesh and her father-in-law Atmaram Parab, a policeman.
Meanwhile Traffic Police Sub Inspector Atmaram Parab, attached to the Ponda traffic cell at Farmagudi, has gone missing ever since he was accused of harassing his daughter-in-law, leading her to commit suicide along with her daughter on July 15. When contacted, Ponda traffic cell Police Inspector Nilesh Daigodkar confirmed that PSI Parab had not reported for duty since July 17.
Asked whether PSI Parab had either availed his leave or had applied for leave, Daigodkar replied: “He has not informed the traffic cell about his leave and has been absent without leave application since July 17.”
Daigodkar was reluctant to divulge more details into the sudden disappearance of Parab, even since he was accused of harassment and abetting the suicide of his daughter-in-law.
When contacted, a police official also confirmed that Parab is yet to be suspended from duty.
“He (PSI Parab) will be placed under suspension if and when he is arrested in the case. As of now, he has not reported to duty at the Ponda traffic cell,” said the official, while speaking on condition of anonymity.
In Margao, the visibly disturbed mother of the deceased questioned the police for not collecting evidence at the house of Vedashri’s house at Margao. A memorandum submitted to Margao PI Sudesh Naik said there’s sufficient evidence against all three accused persons and demanded their immediate arrests.
Armed with placards and banners, the protestors assembled in front of the district police headquarters on Tuesday morning, to be stopped by a police cordon.
Vedashri’s mother Laxmi said the investigating officer PSI Memson Colaco appears not keen to arrest the accused persons and has given sufficient time to the three accused to move the court for anticipatory bail despite the fact that she had filed the complaint on July 16. She demanded to know why the police did not raid the Margao flat of the Vedashri’s husband, saying the raid would have helped the police obtain clues in the case.
Sudesh gave the delegation a patient hearing and reassured them that the law will not spare anyone howsoever mighty he or she may be. He said that investigation in the case is underway with the police collecting all details in connection with the case.
