PANJIM: The manner in which Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar intervened to get rid of the SP of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, Bosco George, is not a one off incident. The government has been treating the ACB as subservient and not an autonomous force to probe corruption. Which is why the battle against corruption hasn’t even started at all.
Look at this for instance. Despite reminders to Goa Police Headquarters from the Directorate of Vigilance that police officers once posted at Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Vigilance cannot be recalled arbitrarily, the Police Headquarters continues to overrule the acts and rules set by the judiciary.
A number of officers have been transferred from ACB since the time this government came to power in violation of the rules as none of the transfers have been approved by the Chief Secretary, who is the Chief Vigilance Officer, which is mandatory as per the norms set.
There was clear confidential correspondence with Police Headquarters from Directorate of Vigilance that “Anti-Corruption Bureau is an independent entity under the Directorate of Vigilance and Police Headquarters is not the competent authority to requisition the services of any police officers once they are posted and transferred on deputation to the Directorate of Vigilance without prior consent and concurrence of the Vigilance Department.”
There were strict notings of then Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on one of such note, which was moved by DySP Bossuet Silva on July, 31, 2013 and said that “The Police HQ is not the authority to decide regarding ACB as it is independent and under vigilance.” These notings of the then Chief Minister were overruled by current Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar to transfer honest and upright officers out of ACB.
In May 2015 after Police Inspector Filomeno Costa was transferred to Canacona Police Station without the Chief Secretary’s approval, Directorate of Vigilance again reminded Goa Police of the rules.
Shockingly, though not surprisingly, Goa Police, clearly under political influence, continue interfering in ACB’s working transferring performing officers out of the bureau. Police Inspector Nolasco Raposo, who was instrumental for over a dozen trap cases in which public servants were caught red-handed while accepting bribes, was shunted out of ACB on October 27.
Cadre posting vacant
There was a time when due to a shortage of IPS officers in Goa, GPS officers were posted to head IPS cadre postings. There are two cadres posting in Goa where the government has appointed GPS officers.
Goa has four cadre postings, including SP Crime Branch, SP Traffic and SPs of both the districts. Despite IPS officers being transferred to Goa remaining without posting for more than a month, Vimal Anand Gupta an IPS officer was given the non-IPS cadre posting at ACB.
On the one hand, the cadre posting at the North and South Goa district police has been kept vacant.
