Goemkarponn desk
PANAJI: For the last three years now, one name in the police department that is of Sagar Ekoskar, who has been recently promoted to the position of Deputy Superintendent, has been in the news for all the wrong reasons.
Be it the Melauli agitation, the mining agitation or assaulting a panch member, Sagar Ekoskar does not seem to believe in courts and likes to take the law into his own hands in a typical Bollywood villain style.
Recently, he has been in the news after the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in New Delhi has asked the State government to take appropriate action on the representation made by a Margao resident Floyd Coutinho against Ekoskar, who was the former PI of Maina Curtorim Police Station in an alleged harassment case with an intent to extort.
Floyd had filed a written complaint against Ekoskar and others, including PSI Tejaskumar Naik, constables Dhiraj Naik and Rizwan Shaikh, with the Prime Minister alleging that these policemen are harassing him and trying to falsely implicate him in a case in which he is not involved.
Ashish Kumar Mishra, Section Officer from PMO, has sent the letter to Goa Chief Secretary to take appropriate action.
The representation made to the Prime Minister states that there are several complaints against the then PI and present DySP Ekoskar at various police stations, and therefore a departmental inquiry is necessary.
The Melaulim saga…
It is no secret that the controversial cop was seen stamping onto the chest of the women, who were peacefully protesting against the demarcation of land at Shel Melaulim for IIT-Goa.
The stamping by the then PI Sagar Ekoskar led to significant violence as the villagers’ protest turned violent.
A few weeks before, Ekoskar had also arrested a few persons in Melaulim who were addressing a press conference at the behest of the local MLA.
Honda Sarpanch assault…
In December 2020, the Valpoi Police Inspector (PI) Sagar Ekoskar assaulted former Sarpanch and present panch of Honda Panchayat Suresh Madkar.
Panch alleged that PI Ekoskar assaulted Madkar at the Honda Police Outpost and abused him with filthy words over a Non-Cognizable offence, and took the law into his own hands.
Hundreds of locals blocked the Honda-Valpoi road demanding the suspension of PI.
The tension was diffused only after PI Ekoskar apologized for his action and DySP Gurudas Gawade assured of action against him.
Pissurlem farmers brutally assaulted…
The then Director General of Police Indra Dev Shukla has ordered an inquiry into a brutal attack on farmers during their protest in the mining belt of Pissurlem by the Valpoi police while the farmers were trying to get their farms free of mining dumps.
Protest leader Hanumanth Parab was allegedly assaulted by the police. He accused the police led by DySP Sagar Ekoskar of attacking, arresting and beating him badly.
Other controversies…
In 2011, then DGP Aditya Arya suspended the PI for allegedly misbehaving with a senior officer. It was alleged that PI Ekoskar threatened a DySP, prompting the latter to complain to the DGP, leading to the PI’s suspension.
In 2018, while posted at Sanguem Police Station, Ekoskar was accused of assaulting panch member Janu Zore in the lockup, because of which Zore was admitted to hospital.
Blessings of CM and HM?
Well, it is being said that the controversial cop Sagar Ekoskar has the blessings of none other than teh Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant himself and the Health Minister Vishwajit Rane.
Locals in Sattari allege that he continues to take the law into his hands only because of this reason.
“He handles illegal works of both CM and HM, and that is the reason he is still in the police force as no senior officer dares to take action against him. He is suspended and soon reinstated and given plum postings,” said one Sattari local.
He added, “the height is he is given a promotion despite all his cases.”