Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: A political uproar has been sparked by the recent release of Siddiqui, also known as Suleman Khan, a 55-year-old man who has been implicated in several land-grabbing cases from the Goa Crime Branch’s custody.
Prominent figures, such as former Congress state chairman Girish Chodankar and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Goa President Amit Palekar, have voiced grave concerns about shortcomings in the Crime Branch’s management and harshly attacked the Goa Police for their alleged incompetence.
Amit Palekar accused the police of egregious negligence, claiming that a police constable helped the accused escape after 4.5 years of evasion, despite the efforts of honorable officials to capture him. Palekar claimed on Twitter that rather than concentrating on ensuring secure detention, top authorities, including the SP Crime Branch, were distracted by political objectives and “witch-hunts.”
Palekar went on to ask if the escape was “stage-managed,” saying that such occurrences are a bad reflection on the Goa Police. He urged authorities to provide the Goan people with an explanation of the situation and sought prompt disciplinary action, including the suspension of the SP Crime.
Further worries were expressed by Girish Chodankar, who cited allegations that the accused received preferential treatment while he was being held. Chodankar claims that Khan may have been granted VIP privileges that made his escape easier and that he was permitted to sleep outside the prison on a coat.
Chodankar questioned who approved of the purported VIP treatment and blamed the Crime Branch for its inability to provide secure custody.
He called on the Director General of Police, Dr. Pramod Sawant, the Home Minister, and top Crime Branch personnel to answer for their actions. He called for an immediate probe into the affair, tweeting that “the citizens of Goa deserve answers regarding this troubling incident.”
