Team Herald
PANJIM: Porvorim Independent candidate and MLA Rohan Khaunte has demanded the suspension of two Deputy Superintendents of Police (DySP) for their gross abuse of power. A petition seeking this was dispatched to the Election Commission of India on Sunday.
Khaunte has urged the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) to take action against DySPs Serafin Dias and Mahesh Gaonkar for gross abuse of their powers in addition to intimidating him and his election agent as well as preventing them from keeping a watch on the EVMs during the sealing process on February 4.
Khaunte in his petition said, “After returning from dinner to the Peddem Stadium my car was stopped at the main gate and was not allowed to drop me inside the premises. This seemed unusual to me since previously, i.e. before we left for dinner, my car had dropped me inside the gate. The constable told me that the DySP has directed not to allow the car inside.”
The petition further claims that after he and his election agent walked inside the visitor’s room, about 15 to 20 policemen, led by Dias and Gaonkar came to them in a violent manner accusing the election agent (Suraj Borkar) of having threatened the police constable at the main gate.
“I, along with my election agent, was completely shocked and surprised at the accusation as well as the manner in which this was done, particularly because no such incident of threatening ever took place. The DySP also called the constable in front who meekly stated that such an incident did take place in which Suraj replied saying that he had not done such a thing,” Khaunte said.
Khaunte added that the DySP kept on questioning his election agent multiple times, however Borkar kept his calm and midway Khaunte interposed to ask what was the issue, however, Dias did not respond after which Gaonkar interfered shouting in an aggressive manner.
Khaunte feels that the police officers were acting at the behest of certain political leaders.
