MARGAO, JAN 17
The Crime Branch has chargesheeted Benaulim legislator Mickky Pacheco in the casino assault case, but the former tourism minister has said he would come out clean and expressed his full faith in the judiciary.
The Crime Branch filed the chargesheet in the court of the Judicial Magistrate First Class, Margao charging the member of the legislative assembly for wrongful restraint, assault and issuing threats to staff of the casino at Majorda Beach Resort.
The incident had occurred in May 2009, but came to light in June after a complaint was lodged with the Colva police station. The government later transferred the case to the Crime Branch for a thorough investigation into the episode.
Meanwhile, commenting on the chargesheet, the former minister, demanding to know why the government had to wait for so long to file the chargesheet if they had anything with them to indict him in the case, said “This only goes to show that the government has filed the chargesheet to divert the attention of the people from the drugs issue involving policemen and the Home Department”, he said.
“I am clean in this case. In fact, there is no case at all. This is the reason why the investigating agency took so long time to investigate a small matter before filing the chargesheet to deflect public opinion”, he added.
He, however, said the home minister cannot escape responsibility in the drugs nexus case, and Pacheco hoped and prayed that the home minister enjoys good health so that he can attend the forthcoming session of the Goa assembly session to answer all queries pertaining to the drugs nexus. “Last time around, the home minister stayed away from the house on health grounds and made his appearance only at the fag end of the session. This time, I am keeping my fingers crossed and pray that Ravi is in good health to attend the session. The home minister will have to do a lot of answering in the house on the drugs nexus and the law and order situation”, Pacheco added.
PANJIM REPORTER ADDS: The political scene heated up on Monday with Pacheco baying for Home Minister Ravi Naik’s blood by calling for his resignation over the drubbing police have been receiving in the past few days in the media on drug nexus and other issues.
Pacheco, who is waiting to be inducted in Chief Minister Digambar Kamat’s cabinet, went on to add that Naik has to accept moral responsibility and step down and in the same vein the chief minister should also be held liable for the functioning of the Home Ministry.
Addressing a press conference on Monday evening after a meeting with some of the executive committee members, the Benaulim MLA informed a chargesheet was filed in the threatening case involving him some one-and-half year back in a casino in South Goa.
The filing of the chargesheet today was nothing, but a ploy to divert the issues involving the Home Ministry that are coming up in the media everyday.”
Drumming up support for the alleged Cipriano custodial death case, the legislator said the officers involved in the case have to be dismissed immediately.
Raking up the Deputy Superintendent of Police Shirish Thorat issue, he said the officer was suspended in 2002 because he had slapped Kamat’s relative. The CM was then power minister in the Bharatiya Janata Party government, he recalled.
He said when an officer can be suspended for just slapping someone, the Cipriano case is of grave nature involving death in custody and officers of the Panjim police involved should be dismissed.
Coming back to the home minister, he alleged Naik was involved in drugs cases that are coming up gradually. “Why are they not arresting suspended Police Sub Inspector Sunil Gudlar, the man involved in the drug nexus? The home minister is scared of being exposed. There should be an inquiry against him,” he demanded.
Pacheco said if the CM wants to send the right signal to the people of Goa, he should, first thing, drop Naik from the Home Ministry.
