PANJIM: Former Home Minister Ravi Naik and a number of retired and serving police officials will heave a sigh of relief as the Special Investigation Team (SIT), formed to inquire into the 2013 House Committee report on police-drug mafia nexus, has not found evidence ascertaining allegations against them.
The SIT has completed its inquiry with reliable sources claiming ‘it appears there is no evidence to prove allegations against persons named in the report’. The team had, however, not examined suspects/accused already investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) stating it was legally not possible.
As many as 15 persons including Naik, retired Director General of Police Kishen Kumar, ex-SPs Allen D’Sa and Mangaldas Desai, serving DySP Sunita Sawant and PI Pravin Kumar Vast, and ex-DySP Chandrakant Salgaonkar were quizzed during the inquiry.
“The inquiry was to find if allegations against all those named in the House Committee report were true so as to enable the authority to take an appropriate decision. The inquiry is complete and it appears there is no evidence to ascertain the allegations,” said an officer adding, “Some have submitted documents to prove their innocence in the case.”
The SIT is in the process of submitting its findings to SP Crime Branch after which the report would be forwarded to the government. “The report will be submitted to the SP CB within a week,” he said.
The Committee had indicted the State’s former DGP Kishen Kumar, Ravi Naik’s son Roy Naik, and recommended filing of FIR against both. The 100-odd page report had also recommended action against former ANC SP Veenu Bansal, ex-SP Mangaldas Desai, three police inspectors and others including a panch witness.
The findings had also charged the Police Department of shielding them and instead implicating ‘innocent and small timers’ in the narcotics case. The then DGP was criticised for not co-operating with the House Committee as he allegedly failed to provide relevant information.
The committee faced allegations of vengeance due to political rivalry as two members Vishnu Wagh (former BJP MLA) and Michael Lobo (BJP MLA) did not endorse it while committee chairman Francisco Pacheco and ex-MLAs Lavu Mamledar and Caetano (Caitu) Silva adopted the report.
