PANJIM, JULY 27
National Students Union of India (NSUI) has demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the attack on its state President Sunil Kawthankar. The fresh demand follows after their sustained demand to hand over the much-touted police-drug mafia nexus probe to the CBI.
“We demand a CBI probe into the attack on Kawthankar because we strongly feel that this attack was carried out by those elements who are threatened by the signature campaign against the nexus…” NSUI (Goa Unit) National Delegate Gautam Bhagat said at a press briefing, last evening.
The NSUI activists have set seven days deadline to transfer both cases to CBI, failing which they have threatened to launch a massive agitation in the State. A student wing of the Congress party, NSUI has criticised its own Government in the State of a botched up investigation into the nexus.
Citing the entire Goa police investigation a ‘failure’, the activists are adamant to continue the signature campaign.
Kawthankar was attacked on July 23 while he was enroute to Assnora village for the campaign. Some unidentified men on Bajaj Pulsar motorbike threw a huge stone on the windshield of the car, which was driven by the students’ leader himself.
The stone smashed the windshield and hit his face leaving him severely injured. Along with him were three other activists in the car, who escaped unhurt. The police have released a sketch of one of the suspected assailants, but are yet to trace him.
After the attack, Bhagat said, they made a futile attempt to meet the Chief Minister Digambar Kamat with a memorandum. Kamat could not be met as he was occupied in the on-going monsoon session of the Legislative Assembly. Nonetheless, the memorandum was then furnished to the Governor S S Sidhu.
The activists interestingly were mum when asked to comment on the alleged involvement of a local politician in the nexus. “We have no faith in the police investigation. We therefore demand a CBI probe. If the Home Minister or any politician is involved, it should come forward in the inquiry…all aspects of the case should be examined,” Bhagat articulated Kawthankar’s statement because of the latter’s lips operation.
NSUI has reiterated yet another demand seeking resignation of the Crime Branch deputy superintendent of police Chandrakant Salgaonkar ‘for his links in the police-drug mafia nexus.’
They also vehemently alleged that the money from the nexus is being routed for terror activities.
The wounded leader had met the Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, on July 15 about the failure of Goa police in the probe.
