PANAJI: Congress MLA Carlos Alvares Ferreira has slammed the Goa government over the delayed suspension of the lady police constable involved in the alleged misappropriation of Rs 17.30 lakh, while attached to Bicholim police station last year.
At a press conference held at the Congress headquarters today, he questioned the government's decision to act only after media reports exposed the case. He also sought clarification on when the discrepancies were first detected.
“The government must come clean. The Chief Minister (Pramod Sawant) who is also the Home Minister, must disclose the sequence of events and show the files,” he demanded.
"The police claim they acted immediately, but that’s dishonest. It only highlights the corruption in the system. These people are looting in uniform, they should not just be suspended, they must be dismissed.”
Ferreira also raised concerns about the silence of the Income Tax department asking how can the Central agency does not act against some having Rs 17 lakh in cash just lying around.
Ferreira, former Advocate General, said be will petition Goa Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai urging him to invoke Article 311(2)(c) of the Constitution, which allows for the dismissal of a government servant without a formal inquiry under exceptional circumstances.
He went on to state that the constable not only misappropriated funds but also tampered with records. “That is a serious offence. Why was no FIR registered? Why wasn’t she arrested? Does she have a godfather protecting her?” he questioned.
He also dismissed any notion of leniency. “Now that she is returning the money, she’s admitting guilt and will expect forgiveness. But that’s not how it should work. She should be jailed, and the recovery should happen through fines and compensation,” he insisted. “The failure to register an FIR casts doubt on the seriousness of the inquiry. I believe they will hush up the case.”
Ferreira further criticized the Goa Police and the Home Department, pointing to a series of recent scandals. “Colvale jail is known for smuggling, a DySP was recently caught in corruption, there’s a jobs-for-cash scam, murder on the shacks, and now this misappropriation of funds. If this were an isolated case, it would be different, but these repeated incidents are tarnishing the name of Goa Police and the state,” he said.
