PANJIM: Do sincere, honest and committed officers have no place in the Goa Police force? Is doing their duty as per their mandate to maintain law and order and control crime, a crime? If not why are honest officers being targeted by the higher echelons of the police and the government? These are the questions haunting the minds of Goans, who are firmly behind honest officers who perform their duties with sincerity and courage.
Two cases of honest police officers, of the rank of Police Inspectors, being made scape goats, sully the image of higher echelons of police and government and cast a big shadow of doubt on the sincerity of the government in protecting the people and giving justice to locals.
The transfer of Calangute Police Inspector Paresh Naik to an ignominious posting to Goa Reserve Police within 24 hours of him sealing the nightclub ‘Down Town’ and arrested bouncers in Baga, Calangute has left everyone shocked.
Even Ruling Calangute MLA Michael Lobo said making the Police Inspector a scapegoat was absolutely wrong. Linking it to the Anjuna PI case where action was taken against the bouncers in the Assagao House demolition, when instructions were given by the DGP, this should not happen. Lobo said.
The same sentiments were echoed by residents of the coastal belt who want the police to act in cases that deserve justice, pertaining to crime, assault, sound pollution etc. They want the police to be given a free hand to act independently and protect the interests of the locals. They expressed deep disappointment that honest officers were being targeted.
“This is a clear case of interference in policing and targeting of sincere officers. Goa has become like Mirzapur and the home minister needs to be changed,” Adv Amit Palekar had said on Tuesday.