Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The Goa Home Department has forwarded a complaint against Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Prabodh Shirvaikar to the Director General of Police (DGP), seeking appropriate action on allegations of corruption, abuse of authority and inconsistent disciplinary practices within the Traffic Police.
The complaint, submitted by a police personnel, calls for an independent inquiry and alleges that disciplinary action within the Traffic Police has been applied unevenly, with some officers facing immediate punishment while others were allegedly shielded despite facing more serious accusations.
According to the representation, the issue dates back to October 2024, when a Delhi resident identified as Asim allegedly recorded videos showing traffic police personnel accepting illegal payments at different locations across Goa.
The complainant stated that the recordings led to the suspension of personnel attached to the Anjuna and Porvorim Traffic Cells after they were allegedly caught accepting bribes of ₹300 and ₹200, respectively.
However, the representation claims a similar incident involving the Calangute Traffic Cell received different treatment. It alleges that four personnel were captured in a video accepting ₹10,000, but no departmental proceedings were initiated against them.
The complaint further alleges that an internal inquiry revealed that then Calangute Traffic Cell in-charge Police Inspector Sachin Narvekar, Police Constable Rajesh Gawade and Home Guard Joseph allegedly pooled ₹6 lakh to prevent disciplinary action. The representation claims the amount was routed through an associate of the SP (Traffic), resulting in all officers featured in the alleged sting operation escaping departmental proceedings.
These allegations remain unverified, and no official findings have been recorded by the Home Department.
The whistleblower has also questioned the fairness of departmental inquiries, alleging that accused personnel were not permitted to cross-examine witnesses or the complainant, thereby compromising the principles of natural justice.
The complaint additionally refers to an Orderly Room hearing where SP (Traffic) Shirvaikar allegedly remarked that he himself had faced disciplinary proceedings for 13 years and had been denied service rewards during that period. The complainant alleged that such personal experiences may have influenced his decisions while dealing with disciplinary matters.
The representation also highlights another alleged case involving the Ponda Traffic Cell, where a video purportedly showing corrupt practices circulated on social media. According to the complaint, no action was taken for several weeks despite the video’s circulation because the personnel involved were allegedly close to the SP.
Another allegation relates to a GPay fraud case involving the Anjuna Traffic Cell. The complainant argued that Shirvaikar, who had conducted the preliminary inquiry while serving as Deputy Superintendent of Police, should not have continued to deal with the matter after becoming the disciplinary authority. The representation alleges that despite the potential conflict of interest, he remained associated with the case and eventually cleared three officials of wrongdoing.
The complaint has also been sent to the Chief Secretary and senior police officers. As of now, neither the Home Department nor the Goa Police has made any findings on the allegations, and no response has been issued by SP (Traffic) Prabodh Shirvaikar regarding the claims.
