Demand for suspension of Colva PSI for assaulting a woman

MARGAO
As a woman’s allegation that a police sub-inspector forced her to lick his boots sparked a storm of indignation, Benaulim MP Venzy Viegas demanded the immediate suspension of the PSI of Colva police station on the grounds that the PSI brutally assaulted the woman and then forced her to lick his shoes.

The Benaulim MP summoned South Superintendent of Police Sunita Sawant on Tuesday and discussed the matter in the presence of Sub-District Police Officer DySP Santosh Desai and Colva Police Station In-charge PI Satish Padwalkar.

Venzy said the district police chief had promised to take action in the matter and the woman had come with him to the SP’s office in the south to lodge her complaint. The MP pointed out that the incident took place around 10 days ago at the Colva-Nuvem border. He was not interested in what triggered the incident, whether anyone had stopped a truck for extortion or whether anyone was telling the truth.

“I have told the SP, South, that I am not discussing the incident at the Colva-Nuvem border. My only concern is the attack on the woman and the PSI who forced her to lick his shoe to save her husband. Here is a case where the police attacked a woman,” he said, demanding to know why neither Lady PSI nor the Pink Police Force were there to attend to the woman.

Venzy said the PSI had no right to attack the woman so brutally and demanded that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who also holds the Home Ministry portfolio, take note of what is happening around her. “I know we have to protect Goemkars. I am not interested in jeopardising the career of a police officer. But the PSI should have considered women’s rights,” he said, demanding strict action and suspension of the PSI.

PSI transferred; SDPO to investigate incident

MARGAO: Police Sub-Inspector Vibhinav Shirodkar, attached to Colva police station, has been transferred from Colva and asked to report to the South Goa district police headquarters immediately.

Subdivisional Police Officer Margao DySP Santosh Desai has been appointed as Investigating Officer by the Superintendent of Police, South Sunita Sawant to probe the assault allegations against the woman.

DySP Santosh Desai informed that he has been assigned to investigate the incident. He said preliminary investigations revealed that the Colva PSI had gone to the scene after a call, though the area falls under the jurisdiction of Verna police station. “The police team had gone to the scene after receiving a complaint against the couple. The investigation is currently underway,” he said.

Meanwhile, Adv Stanley Rodrigues told the media that the woman victim had officially lodged a complaint against the PSI with the Margao Police Headquarters. “Let us leave aside the Utorda incident for a moment. What was the Colva PSI doing in Utorda when the area falls under the jurisdiction of Verna Police Station? Secondly, the woman victim was in the custody of Verna Police since 2 am despite Supreme Court guidelines prohibiting arrest of women after sunset,” asked Adv Stanley.