The image of the Goa Police has been sullied once again by three rogue cops with one them being suspended, another shunted from Women’s Police Station to the police headquarters and the third issued a show cause notice for dereliction of duty in registering FIR in rape cases involving two minors.
Valpoi Police Inspector (PI) Prajyot Phadte, who normally goes beyond the call to harass the activists and brand them as history-sheeters, has failed to protect a minor girl, who knocked his door several times seeking justice in a rape case.
Lady PI Sandhya Gupta, the head of first Women and Child Protection Unit, who miserably failed in discharging her duties and did not understand the plight of a minor child, who was allegedly abused by her father for the last four years.
Thanks to Save Child Abuse Now (SCAN) run by Emidio Pinho, who went out of the way not just to fight for justice for the victims, but also ensure that action is initiated against the erring cops.
Taking serious cognisance of the issues, PI Phadte has been suspended for dereliction of duties for delaying the registration of offence in a serious case while Sandhya has been given transfer orders to report to Headquarters. PI Vikram Naik has been issued show cause notice for dereliction of duty in registering FIR in rape cases involving two minors.
Speaking on the action initiated against the cops, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said, “Delay from the police, especially by responsible officers in not just rape cases but any case will not be tolerated.”
North Goa SP Nidhin Valsan said, “The suspension, transfer and the show cause notice are connected to the two rape cases that were registered at Valpoi and Old Goa Police stations. There was a delay in registering those cases, which attracted the action against the heads of the police stations. In the case where PI of Women’s Police Station is transferred and Agacaim PI is issued show cause because the victim had approached the Women’s Police station after which she approached the Agacaim Police Station where her case wasn’t registered.”
THE OTHER BLACK SPOTS ON
PI PHADTE’S UNIFORM
Recently, Valpoi PI Prajyot Phadte has been in news for listing a farmer activist into the history-sheeters list. It may be recalled that farmers activist Hanumant Parab, who was protesting along with farmers in the Pissurlem village against the destruction of the fields, was allegedly taken to the police station and was mercilessly beaten up. Instead of registering Parab’s assault case, the Valpoi Police registered two serious offences against the farmer activist. Two other offences were considered as basis for the history sheet and Parab was mentioned in the list of history-sheeters. Currently, PI Phadte is deposing before the State Police Complaints Authority (SPCA) in the complaint filed by Parab against him and Valpoi Deputy Superintendent of Police Sagar Ekoskar.
AGACAIM PI VIKRAM NAIK TURNED THE MINOR GIRL INTO A MAJOR
The child’s counsellor dialled 112 and the child was taken to the Agacaim Police Station. Apparently to dilute the case, the Agacaim PI turned the minor girl into a major. Rather than registering an FIR, he just called up the father and later let him off the leash. Both the PIs gave enough time for the abusive father to flee, who is still absconding.
Later, the counsellor approached the SCAN and took up the matter with DySP Sudesh Naik and SP North Goa who then directed the Old Goa Police Station under whose jurisdiction the crime was committed and an FIR was registered.
PI PHADTE WANTED COMPROMISE,
NOT JUSTICE FOR RAPE VICTIM
The Valpoi case that unfolded into the forest of Sattari taluka is of a young girl, who was lured into friendship by a 24-year-old youth. The girl was befriended on Facebook by the youth, who forced her to strip and pose on camera. The youth captured the incriminating pictures and started blackmailing her. She pleaded of him to delete the pictures and he promised to oblige her if she could meet him personally to which the victim agreed. He convinced her to meet him at a secluded place in a forested area and allegedly raped her.
He then shared the explicit images with the village youth, leaving the girl in a state of shock. She refused to move out of the house and also blocked him on social media. The accused youth further tried to get in touch with the girl through her friends on a social networking site.
Unable to bear the trauma, the girl along with her parents met the Valpoi PI to register a complaint. But the PI, rather than giving justice to the victim and locking up the accused, insisted on compromising the matter by stating that by registering an offence, her name would be tarnished.
The matter reached the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), which was later forwarded to the SCAN which took up the matter before the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) and Superintendent of Police (SP). The DySP of Sattari forwarded a report to
