Team Herald
PANJIM: The Goa Youth Forward has charged nexus between government and the drug pedlars in the State as it cited several cases registered till date. The youth wing of Goa Forward Party (GFP) has also alleged attempts to shield a police sub inspector, implicated in an attempted extortion case.
“One politician took the PSI to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to protect the disgraced policeman from the allegation of extortion. All those agents of politicians will soon be exposed,” youth wing’s Pritesh Chodankar said at a press conference on Sunday. He however refused to divulge the details assuring to “expose” the concerned at their next press conference.
PSI Videsh Pilgaonkar and Constable Shyam Parsekar, who have been a part of several narcotics raiding team in their jurisdiction, have been facing allegations of attempting to extort Rs 1 lakh from two persons by threatening them to implicate in a false drugs case. A preliminary inquiry ascertained the allegations followed by a departmental enquiry. The department is however yet to issue their transfer from their current place of posting at Anjuna Police Station.
The party also questioned government’s inaction to its Siolim MLA and former minister Vinod Palyekar’s claims of rampant drugs in the area. “Palyekar has done all your work to extract details of drugs activity in the area, but no action is being taken to crack down on the illegal trade,” he said. CM Sawant, on the other hand, had told reporters that he has forwarded Palyekar’s letter to Goa Police for appropriate action while also questioning MLA’s silence during his tenure as minister.
The wing’s general secretary Lalan Gimonkar, while terming Sawant as “accidental CM” alleged that drug trade is not restricted to coastal area but in the interiors and villages too. “I feel Goa is turning into Udta Punjab,” Gimonkar said.
The party has alleged that drugs activity is on the rise in the wake of several raids and arrests taken place in the past. The allegation also comes in the wake of CM’s statement that Rs 3 crore drugs have been seized during his stint as Home Minister.
The youth wing of GFP has also demanded that minister Michael Lobo be given Home Minister’s post.
