The image of the men in uniform has been sullied again as yet anoth er incident of police bru tality came to light when an off-duty constable, Vinod Juvekar, attached to the Mardol Police Sta tion, allegedly assault ed a 26-year-old youth, Shreyash Hardikar, with a bamboo stick at Antruzna gar-Curti on being ques tioned for beating a stray dog. According to the victim’s family, the incident oc curred at 10.40 pm on Sep tember 10 in the Antruzna gar-Curti locality. Hardikar was on a night walk when he saw Juvekar assaulting a dog with a stick. When Hardikar intervened, the enraged constable alleg edly attacked him with the bamboo stick, hitting him on the neck. The impact was such that Hardikar sustained serious neck and ear injuries and was admit ted to the Sub District Hos pital (SDH) for treatment. Meanwhile, his family tried to file a police com plaint, but was met with resistance. According to the victim’s mother, a hawaldar at the Ponda Police Station re fused to entertain their complaint, advising them to wait until the victim re covered. For four days, the family’s attempts to seek justice were denied, lead ing them to protest and ap proach the media.
A video of the brutal assault, along with the family’s con demnation of the police’s inaction, went viral, sparking a public demand for justice. Hardikar’s mother, distraught by her son’s injuries, pleaded with the Chief Minister for justice and protection for her family. The widespread media attention and public pressure finally led the Ponda Police to act and register an offence against constable Juvekar on September 14, under Bhara tiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Following the registration of the complaint, the South Goa Superintendent of Police (SP) issued a statement confirming that misconduct or dereliction of duty by any police personnel, whether on or off-duty, will not be tol erated. He assured that strict disciplinary or legal action would be taken against those found guilty. The incident and the subsequent delay in police action have deeply shaken the Hardikar family, who are seeking justice for their only son. The community of Ponda has also been left in shock, questioning the safety of ordinary citizens when those in authority can act with impunity.
