Team Goemkarponn
VASCO: Social activist and former Congress Minority president Nazir Khan on Friday questioned the reason for the sudden intensified police patrolling in Vasco.
“It is good that the police have begun intensified patrolling, but they must answer whether this is going to be a continuous process or merely an attempt to divert public attention from the case,” said Khan.
While acknowledging the efforts of Mormugao DySP Gurudas Kadam, Khan criticised the timing of the move. “It is sad that this step has come only after the police themselves have been attacked. Would this have been the case if a normal citizen was attacked? If a common person had been attacked, the complainant would be waiting outside to lodge a complaint while the accused would be inside the police cabin, because the MLA would have already called the police to settle the case,” he remarked.
Khan further said the episode should be a learning lesson for the police. “While they let go of these criminals at the request of MLAs, the criminals grew stronger and ultimately attacked the police themselves,” he said.
Lashing out at political interference, Khan added: “Why should the politicians and government interfere with the police? The police must be given a free hand because we have very good and capable officers who can go to the roots of crime and tackle such situations. However, the government and politicians are tying their hands, and local MLAs are interfering. This allows criminals to get away scot-free while local people suffer endlessly.”
Expressing hope that the police would now realign with public interest, Khan said: “We hope the police can now understand that they are public servants, who should stand with the people and help get rid of such criminals. It is a shame that the police have to take such steps only after being attacked, which has sent a wrong signal to society.”
