TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: The Congress cried foul on late Friday night over the absence of police picketing arrangements in the sensitive areas of Margao assembly segment, leaving history sheeters to have a free run.
Former Chief Minister and Margao MLA Digambar Kamat told Congress candidate Reginaldo Lourenco late tonight to immediately intimate the Election Observer about the absence of police bandobast in the city.
Kamat contended that additional police deployment was always done in the sensitive migrant pockets in the Margao assembly segment such as Azad Nagar, Kharebandh, Sirvodem and Kharelem, but lamented that these areas were virtually allowed by manned by the opponents this time round.
“There’s no police bandobast in these migrant areas. Police used to make their presence in these pocket two days before polling. But, it is surprising that there’s no police force in these areas even on the eve of the polling scheduled on Saturday,” Kamat told Herald on late Friday night.
In fact, Kamat claimed that a noted gangster along with his gang members was openly seen moving around the Khareband area late Friday evening, with the police conspicuous by their absence.
Meanwhile, the Congress camp maintained a close track on the movement of the Margao police as rumours did the rounds that the men-in-uniform might take Independent MLA Vijai Sardesai into custody in connection with the Lohia Maidan incident.
Though DySP Mohan Naik maintained that the police have only registered a case against unknown persons, Congress campaign managers strongly suspected that the police might move in to arrest Sardesai in a bid to puncture the Congress
The Congress leadership had on Thursday demanded to know why the election authorities did not transfer police officials from Margao sub-division after the election of code had come into force.
