Team Herald
PONDA: A social worker Adv Diya Shetkar has alleged that police are treating causally her complaint of stalking, outraging modesty and defamation on social media.
Shetkar said that she complained to the Ponda police that one Swapnil Parab, a resident of Pernem, has been stalking her, outraged her modesty and defamed her on social media. Before this, she said, she had also approached the Cyber Crime police station.
“But the PIs at these police stations had a very laidback attitude and they told me that they would look into my complaint and decide after reading it and studying it,” the Shantinagar-Ponda local complained addressing the media in Panjim.
She said that desides practising law, she also runs an NGO by the name of Nari Adhikar, which is active in the Shiroda area. And that since the last few days the accused Swapnil Parab has been “chasing and stalking and hounding her.”
“He first met me saying that he has some legal/social matter and needed my help. On Tuesday, I found out that he has circulated the screen shots and images of some very defamatory and personal fake messages on WhatsApp which, he falsely claims, have been sent by me to him,” she said.
“Since I did not send such messages, first I approached the Cyber Crime police station and then the Ponda police station with written complaints. Both the PIs at these police stations had a very laidback attitude and they told me that they would look into my complaint and decide after reading it and studying it,” she complained.
She said that as per the law and as per several Supreme Court rulings, when a woman approaches a police station with a cognizable complaint, an FIR has to be registered immediately.
“In my case, the accusations are very serious in nature. I have told the police in my written complaint that some rival politicians are behind this character assassination and this act of Swapnil Parab has been mastermind and directed by some rival politicians,” she said.
She alleged that there is a big criminal conspiracy behind action of the accused. She further alleged that two or three very influential politicians from Goa are involved in the crime against her. “And yet the police say they are “studying my case” instead of registering an FIR immediately,” she regretted.
“If required, the police can add additional sections later on, but registration of FIR is required immediately in case of a cognizable offence,” Shetkar said.
When contacted, Ponda Police Inspector Harish Marcaikar said that his officers are verifying the complaint of Adv Diya Shetkar. “We have to verify the facts of allegations,” he said.
