In a shocking admission, Home Minister Ravi Naik claimed that most of the
police officials suspended are reinstated eventually.
Responding to an unstarred question on the floor of the House by Congress
legislator Dayanand Narvekar last week, Naik said that 56 out of a total 77
suspended police personnel have been reinstated in the Goa police. Whereas,
only one has been terminated from his services and none are demoted as yet.
The minister said that as many as 1187 men-in-khaki have not been transferred
for the last five years besides 62 others are posted at the same place for the
last one decade. This is in contradiction of the Goa Police service rules,
which makes it mandatory that the transfers have to be executed within three
years of posting.
Responding to yet another question, Naik claimed that 3,399 policemen reported
sick and went on sick leave since 2008. Interestingly, the government has spent
a whooping Rs 2.07 crore on medical facilities to policemen suffering from high
blood pressure, diabetes, flu, cold, fever among others from 2008 to 2010.
The issue of police committing suicide is not new in Goa, as one police
personnel committed suicide for reasons unknown while 23 others have ‘left the
jobs’ for various reasons.
Goa witnessed some of the touted cases showing Goa police in a negative light,
including one hawaldar caught doing obscene act in the police patrolling van,
which was video-shot by his own colleague; Police sub-Inspector Nerlon
Albuquerue’s suspension in the infamous death of British teenager Scarlet
Keeling, his brother police inspector Nelson Albuquerque’s suspension for
dereliction of duty at Patradevi check-post and other similar cases. Nerlon and
Nelson were reinstated later.
There are several others who are shown the door for various reasons but
ironically there is always a back door entry.
