Minister withdraws demand for Colvale PI’s suspension after teachers' arrest
MAPUSA
In a flip-flop of sorts, Fisheries Minister Nilkant Halarnkar Thursday morning demanded the suspension of Colvale Police Inspector (PI) Vijay Rane for failing to arrest two teachers accused of assaulting a student but later withdrew his demand after the teachers were taken into custody.
Halarnkar, visibly frustrated during a morning press conference, criticised the police for handling the case in what he described as a "casual manner" despite clear instructions from Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to act promptly. He accused PI Rane, who is also the Investigating Officer (IO) in the case, of acting under pressure and failing to take the investigation to its logical conclusion. “I want the PI and the IO of the assault case to be immediately suspended for handling the case in a very casual manner,” Halarnkar said.
Halarnkar, the local MLA, expressed disappointment over what he saw as weak charges being filed against the teachers and questioned the police's intent. “Do they have less knowledge of the law or did they act under someone’s pressure?” he asked.
The Minister further revealed that he intended to write to both the Chief Minister and the Director General of Police (DGP) regarding the matter, underscoring his dissatisfaction with the police action.
However, in a surprising coincidence, the two teachers were arrested later in the day, following Halarnkar's outburst. They were subsequently remanded to five days of police custody by the court.
By the evening, Halarnkar softened his stance, stating that the suspension of PI Rane was no longer necessary. "My intention was that strong action should have been taken against the teachers. Since they were arrested and the court has remanded them to custody, I feel justice has been done, and my constituents are also happy," he told 'The Goan'.
Halarnkar took pains to clarify that this was not a “U-turn”, emphasising that once the arrests were made and the court acted, his demands for justice had been met.
