Goa Police shamed by chief minister Pramod Sawant -- By Nisser Dias

The ‘import’ from Kolhapur who was sworn in as the chief minister of Goa, as a part of late Manohar Parrikar’s legacy, has proved once again that he is inefficient and incompetent. By handing over the late Sonali Phogat murder case to the CBI, the spineless Pramod Sawant, to camouflage his ineptness and functioning has in fact ridiculed the Goa police in the eyes of the public. The non-Goan chief minister of Goa Pramod Sawant has indeed endorsed the impromptu nickname ‘Pappu’ meaning a puppet in the hands of the powers that be in Delhi. Till recently Sawant is on record saying that Goa police were doing a good job in investigating the murder of Sonali Phogat. Like his U-turn predecessor, he changed colours. What changed overnight for CM to hand over the case to the CBI? Was it Haryana Khap panchayat pressure? Or the pressure from the daughter of the victim? Or is it the order from the Home ministry? Or has he suddenly realized his police officers are not up to the mark to investigate such a high-profile case? High profile as she was, being a member of the BJP. Or is it because the chief minister who also holds the Home portfolio is a failure in its entirety? What was the reason to hand over the case to CBI? Goa police had the main ingredients in any investigation. The victim was identified, the accused were arrested and the cause of death was determined. What the Goa police had to do was just connect the dots to present a solid, watertight case. Police had to just investigate whether the drugs were bought at Curlies, or if the accused and the victim had carried them from Haryana. Whether the victim was a willing partner or a habitual user? The motive for her personal assistant to drug her and whether the accused would be the beneficiaries of the victim’s assets? As simple. What more will the CBI do? In January 2013 with the late Manohar Parrikar as chief minister, a 7-year-old girl was raped in the school toilet during regular hours. As the police could not get a breakthrough, Goans demanded that the case be handed over to CBI. Nine months later in September of that year when the trail of the accused had gone cold, Parrikar acceded to the demand and the CBI took over the case. Probably late Parrikar’s delayed the case being handed over to CBI was because he was the person to close down the CBI office in Goa. In 2017 four years later CBI filed a closure report in court which the victim’s father challenged. Then CBI changed tracks and said that they have identified the suspect as a native of West Bengal but are yet to nab him. Let me highlight another case CBI bungled and the accused in the murder was acquitted. In 2010 Dr. Vijayraj Dessai was accused of the murder of his wife. The case was handed over to CBI. Four years later they filed a charge sheet.

GOA POLICE HEAD QUARTERS

After four years of trial, the accused who did not engage a lawyer, argued the matter himself against the CBI lawyer and was acquitted. This is an indication that CBI also does not have a 100 per cent conviction rate. In 2015 Goans demanded a CBI investigation into the mysterious death of Fr. Bismarque Dias a green activist, In 2020 RTI activist Vilas Methar was waylaid and set on fire and died of burn injuries. In 2021 19 years old Siddhi Naik was found washed ashore at Calangute beach. Again, Goans demanded a CBI probe. None were accepted by the government. But in Sonali Phogat’s case, the Goa government run by the most useless BJP chief minister Sawant accedes to the demands of Haryana Khap panchayat and the daughter of the victim for the CBI investigation. The citizens have the right to know the criteria adopted by the government to hand over cases to CBI. With all the resources available to them the CBI does not have an outstanding record of convictions. Goa police with plenty of limitations is much better than the premier investigating agency.

Politicians, police and drug lords are all in the same game in Goa - By Nisser Dias

GOA LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY

The slugfest between Goa and its counterparts in Hyderabad over non-cooperation and denial allegations in the investigation into the death of BJP leader Sonali Phogat case has exposed the defunct BJP government headed by ‘Outsider’ chief minister Pramod Sawant and his caged police force. Moreover, it has exposed the incapabilities, failures and inefficiency of Sawant who holds the Home portfolio. The Kolhapur ‘import’ should pack his bags and permanently leave Goa for his ‘Ganv’. The chief minister termed Phogat’s death as cardiac arrest. In stark contrast, the autopsy revealed that she died of an overdose of drugs combined with blunt force trauma. Pramod Sawant does not only expose himself as a clown but makes the police personnel look like a bunch of fools. BJP leader who is alleged to have overdosed on drugs is a grim reminder to the powers that be that narcotics and psychotropic substances are abundantly and freely available in this part of the paradise because of the patronage and tutelage of the police and the politicians. It has always been an open secret that politicians, police and drug kingpins and peddlers have woven a strong network and beneficiaries of the blood money or drug business. Have we forgotten that cabinet minister Ravi Naik’s son was probed for alleged drug links and was supposedly the kingpin along the north Goa coastal belt? Police officer Sunil Gudlar was arrested in 2011 upon the evidence of video recording selling narcotics to two foreign nationals. He was also linked to missing drugs from the police godown, supposedly consumed by rodents according to the police version without realizing that two-legged rodents are also part of Goa’s police force. Ruling politicians have always been in denial that drugs are freely available along the coastal belt of north Goa, not that it is not available in south Goa but to a much lesser level. After fatal incidents like Phogat, Scarlett and others, the government and the police get into the mode of public eye wash. They carry out raids and arrest the small fry. But after a fortnight it is business as usual.

GOA POLICE HEADQUARTERS

Be that as it may, that our police force lacks investigative skills is widely known. There is a concept known as circumstantial proof and direct evidence in any investigation. Goa police fail to understand this aspect and the result is a high percentage of acquittals in narcotic cases. Goa police investigation is to first arrest the suspects and gather all the evidence with their help. When a person or persons are arrested, the charge sheet has to be filed in the court of law within 90 days or the law allows default bail for suspects. Investigations can go for much longer period. Unfortunately, for the investigating agencies, their burden is to file a charge-sheet when the burden on them should be to seek a conviction. The police have to change their mode of investigation and arrest the person only after gathering circumstantial and direct evidence. The police are simply incapable of such investigations. In Sonali Phogat’s case, Inspector General of police (IGP) Omvir Singh is on record saying that the latter was forced to drink an obnoxious substance. This premise sounds hollow simply because it is very difficult to force any liquid into a person’s mouth without consent. The jaw has such strong muscles that it is impossible to pry it open unless the victim is either held captive and being tortured to drink or intoxicated or is a willing partner in the act. Late Sonali was at a social place hence ‘forcing her to drink’ obnoxious substance flies out of the window. She either had knowledge of what she was drinking or had complete trust in the person putting the bottle to her mouth.

NISSER DIAS

Police will have to coin a better phrase than ‘forced to drink’ otherwise they will play into the hands of defence lawyers. Interestingly BJP dictates what citizens should eat, drink or consume, say and wear, and the time when we go out or stay home. However, it seems the executive orders are for the general public and not for the members of the BJP party. Similarly if the ‘bhailo’ chief minister of Goa Pramod Sawant cannot protect the lives of his own BJP party colleague as Home minister, how can he possibly protect us? Resign, Pramod Sawant, resign. You are an utter misfit and a complete failure.

Unsupported school libraries and govt. patronized illegal bars? Is our ‘bhailo’ CM joking? -- By Nisser Dias

Trust it on our imported Chief Minister of Goa to utter cheap solutions to issues plaguing our state. Be it crimes, accidents and even history he has warped and distorted theories which makes him a laughing stock. He then goes and advises us to have libraries at home instead of a bar, when his thoughts are always under influence but need not be under alcohol or substance. After the fateful motor vehicular accident on the Zuari bridge were four individuals travelling in a car lost their lives after toppling into the river, ‘bhailo’ CM said that people should have libraries instead of a bar at home. A year back when young girls were raped on Benaulim beach when they were with their friends, this same man who the Goans are ashamed to call their chief minister said that the parents should not allow their daughters to stay out so late. In 2021 commenting on Goa’s 60th Liberation Day, he blamed then Prime Minister late Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru for the delay in freeing Goa from Portuguese rule without realizing the entire exercise that went behind Goa’s Liberation. And this man, a non-Goan chief minister of Goa is recommending to have a library at our homes justifying it with his wife maintaining a library at his home. Goans have become so used to the inarticulate brainless chief minister running his motor mouth without giving sufficient time for his brain to process his thoughts has embarrassed Goans nationally. It is not important to have a library at home but what is important is to understand and construe what one reads from the author’s point of view, that of the period or era when it was written and the conditions prevailing then. But given the imported chief minister Pramod Sawant’s perspective, his background, and his convoluted mindset, he reads and interprets through the lens of his ideology thereby distorting all facts and figures. Hence for such a person to advise us to have a library at home is a travesty. Books are written in various forms. It is either fiction or non-fiction, scientific and otherwise, history and doctored history it can go on. What the BJP is interested in is doctored history. They will go to any length to misinterpret history to their point of view in their agenda to indoctrinate the masses. That is the type of library the chief minister wants us to set-up in our homes. Since the non-Goan Pramod Sawant was promoted as Chief Minister of Goa as part of the late Manohar Parrikar’s legacy, the former also holds the Education portfolio. Sawant’s only contribution to school and state libraries has been to continuously reduce budget allocation for libraries. In fact, he has stopped funding school libraries and drastically slashed expenditure on state libraries. In the recently concluded Assembly Session Fatorda MLA Vijay Sardessai called his bluff. While exposing the imported chief minister of Goa, Sardessai said that capital expenditure for libraries was Rs. 2 crores in 2021 but has been reduced to mere Rs. 10 lakhs this year. Former deputy chief minister in Sawant cabinet went on to strip down the chief minister stating that Rs. 50 lakhs were allocated in 2021-2022 to purchase books for school libraries but for 2022-2023 no budget provision has been made. The duplicity and two-facedness of the chief minister of Goa are that while he stops budgetary allocation for libraries in schools, he promotes bars to be run by his party colleagues and workers without proper licenses.

For MLA Venzy Viegas, politics is about ratings and catching eye-balls -- By Nisser Dias

An old saying goes, ‘A frog in the well knows nothing about the ocean’, but the frog is being proved wrong by a man of the ocean as thinks from the confines of a well. It is none other than Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas. In just six months of the 2022 elections, constituents who exercised their franchise in favour of an educated seafarer over the other, have started feeling that they have plunged Benaulim constituency into further depravation. ‘A known devil is better than an unknown angel’ stands true in the thought process of Venzy Viegas. Opposition to Ola and Uber cab services, moving of private members bill in support of cruel, blood-letting ‘dhirio’ (bullfights) is nothing but taking the constituency and Goa to lawless-age. But he has a sinister plan behind all this. He is laying the foundation to be in the political arena for the next five years also. Viegas could not garner much support from a majority of tourist taxi operators and their families during his campaign and elections, now he is pandering to them or rather dangling a lollipop for them to join his camp. Tourist taxi operators have not only been fleecing the tourists, they have been terrorizing other stakeholders in the hotel industry. Even family members are threatened by these goons while picking up their loved ones from the hotels. MLA Viegas who generates his ratings through social media posts should first study Ola and Uber concepts in other states in depth before letting out his verbal diarrhoea. To his knowledge, the general public travelling to the office on two-wheelers in other states of India are registered with the taxi services and earn money from it. So also is the case with the bullfights. Fighting bull owners, enthusiasts of this bloody and gory dhirios (which also includes seafarers) were also sceptic about Venzy and his support for it. To now woo and win them over to his side as future vote-bank, he has moved the bill. In fact Venzy is simply behaving like a ‘bull in a China shop’. It doesn’t seem he has thoroughly studied the matter or the Supreme Court judgment banning gruesome ‘dhirio’ but is in a frenzy to increase his popularity and win the next election. During the summer Benaulim MLA organized a mock cyclone drill. Fishermen were made to pull a canoe as a part of the exercise, which they did, all this, while the gullible television media and social media enthusiasts were recording it. The funny part is fishing vessels and canoes are banned from venturing into the sea during cyclonic days in monsoons. Again, it was for cheap publicity. This very week, Venzy called the disaster management team to inspect inundated and flooding at Khareband. He resorted to petty gimmicks like venturing into the catchment area in a dinghy only to capture eye balls. His predecessor Churchill Alemao always claims that decades back he dived into the same catchment and surfaced with a dead body that the divers could not locate. In that era, there were no mobile phones or social media to capture ex-MLA’s achievement.

The agitation against western bypass passing through the same catchment area had started way back while Viegas was busy canvassing for himself, he never once bothered to study the matter or even lend support. But after being elected he tried to hijack the agitation just for publicity. In May this year, he called for inspection of a canal built for Colva creek. At the time of the inspection, four labourers were physically in the filthy waters removing the plastics bottles. The water in the creek is highly polluted according to Water Resources Department and not fit for humans to wade in it. But Benaulim MLA Viegas did not even have the gumption or the human touch to enquire who engaged them at the risk of their lives. For Venzy Viegas it is all about being in the public eye, blow hot gas for TV cameras and mobile phones to post it on social media. All this exercise to pull wool over the constituents to show that he is serving them so as to get elected again and make politics his career.

I-PAC’s Prashant Kishor juggernaut crumbles in Goa – By Nisser Dias

Out on a duck in Goa

He thought he was invincible and could prop up any party to power. He thought he was unstoppable and political victories would follow him wherever he goes. He thought he was unshakeable in his abilities to assess, evaluate and plan strategies for the success of political parties to form governments. However, in Goa, the new dawn he promised extinguished even before it saw light. Prashant Kishor was successful in installing BJP government at the national level, TMC in West Bengal, DMK in Chennai and YSR Congress party in Andhra Pradesh as his Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) managed their campaign plans. These victories seem to have given PK the aura of demi God with a Midas touch. But Goan voters proved him wrong. They sent a crystal-clear message to him that Goans do not get swayed with promises and innuendos and prefer a known devil rather than an unknown angel. Interestingly even before I-PAC set foot in Goa in September 2021 highly celebrated poll strategist was focusing on Goa through his success prism. Six months before the Goa assembly election Prashant Kishor was in touch with probable candidates from various parties with precise agenda to introduce TMC party in Goa. Flight tickets to West Bengal were booked for gullible candidates and also newbies wanting to get into politics, some fell for the smooth talk of PK, while others gently refused the offer. When TMC announced their entry into Goa through I-PAC, it was like a breath of fresh air for large chunk of voters who wanted a change from the usual political players and parties. But it was short-lived as TMC with the advice of I-PAC muddled the waters with induction of veteran career politician Luizinho Faleiro. This was followed by several self-goals TMC scored by inducting dubious politicians from various parties more from the Congress. Voters were saying that TMC entry into Goa was more from cleansing the Congress party in Goa of its garbage rather than building it up from the scratch by attracting young, dynamic and credible persons. Congress party without a shadow of doubt was loaded with lot of baggage of traitors, betrayers and turncoats. To give themselves a makeover they jumped on the TMC bandwagon and Didi’s party accepted them with open arms. TMC politicians like Derek O’Brien, Mohua Moitra, Dev Sushmita and others who camped themselves in Goa the whole time were mere puppets in the hands of I-PAC. These politicians who otherwise rock the parliament during sessions had no say in the working of the agency and merely nodded their heads like minions at all the wrong decisions adopted by it. The large team of I-PAC personnel were like busy-bees for almost six months calling up voters, collecting their data, sending press notes to media houses and reporters or organizing press conferences, roping in politicians of all hues and age right from young panchayat members to septuagenarians to turn the electoral tide in their favour or as they coined it, ‘to bring a new dawn’.

Prashant Kishor

As poll promises, they designed schemes to entice women, youth and even the unemployed offering direct cash transfer, collateral-free loans and unemployment insurance so as to clinch power in Goa but their narrative came unstuck. People saw through the hollowness of these promises especially simply because BJP government has drowned Goa into a huge debt. And for TMC to offer such schemes was simply not feasible. If only they had to promise to bring Goa out of the debt trap would be more plausible. PK and his agency failed to realize the old adage, ‘you can fool all the voters some of the time, and some of the voters all the time, but you cannot fool all the voters all the time.’ The Goan voters refused to swallow the sugar-coated pill dished out by I-PAC and Prashant Kishor and result was TMC failed to get even one candidate elected that too after pouring in thousands of crores which otherwise could be used to elevate issues in West Bengal. Infact Goan voters exposed the vulnerability of Prashant Kishor and ended his elections winning spree.

Churchill has fallen – By Nisser Dias

Churchill Alemao

72 years old Churchill Alemao has fallen once again in an electoral defeat, will he able to get up from the knock-out punch delivered by Venzy Viegas a novice in politics given his age. Or is it that Varca strong man’s political embers will extinguish in the next five years. Or will he contest the Parliamentary election two years from now to still be in business? Churchill knew his defeat was imminent and had appealed to Benaulim constituents twice to give him a last chance, but the voters had enough of his deceitful ways and lies. In 2019 he had promised the constituents never to join or support the BJP, but when elected he did just the opposite. To console himself he started sermonizing that his ‘issue-based support’ to BJP was to bring in development in Benaulim. But his constituents knew very well that he was put on a short leash by the saffron party otherwise the wheels of prosecution in corruption cases would start rolling over him. So basically, Churchill would do the master’s calling whenever called for and sing praises of the BJP and its chief minister Pramod Sawant. People were not fooled by it and finally avenged their hurt by voting him out. It was indeed a befitting reply When it comes to development, ex MLA of Benaulim have not brought in any developments, in fact he has allowed destruction of the constituency. Let me tell you how. The Rs. 25 crore development he tom-toms about was brought in by former MLA Caitu Silva and foundation stone was laid by former CM late Manohar Parrikar. Under Sawant this project was implemented and Churchill oversaw that a new foundation was laid with his name and demolished the original. This beautification project has displaced rain water from the catchment areas and inundated large tracts of fields that were being cultivated by the owners. Interestingly in five years he could even oversee its completion as Orlim’s 700 metres bundh is still being redone after it collapsed with the fury of monsoons. He brought in destruction by allowing the government to build by-pass through low-lying areas of Seraulim and Benauim when the villagers were demanding road on stilts. Both the above projects which Churchill claims to be development with cause lots of hardship to people as not only fields are inundated with rain water, but water has also started entering houses in these villages. He losing Benaulim constituency might not be as much disappointment to him as his failure to get his daughter Valanka Alemao elected from Navelim constituency. He saw her as his successor. She contested two elections and have lost both. Losing election this time in Navelim constituency must be a bigger jolt for Churchill because he along with Trinamool Congress party Rajya Sabha member Luizinho Faleiro could not bring her the victory. Luizinho was the MLA till recently and had his vote share. Churchill also represented Navelim and holds sway in some pockets of the constituency. But their combined strength could not manage her first electoral success which is an indication that Churchill’s popularity is at an abysmal low.

Vote for Tony Dias in Benaulim constituency is a vote for ‘chemical’ Ibrahim – By Nisser Dias

Tony Dias

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” What he meant was change for good and not for worse. Goa is going to polls and voters are going to cast their ballot on 14th February to bring about a change. While some parties and candidates are pleading for another chance to bring about a change others are urging to bring about a change by discarding old legislators and electing new faces to bring about a change. But in Benaulim it is a catch-22 situation for the voters. On one side we have the infamous jumping jack in Churchill Alemao who uses, misuses, abuses and discards political parties every five years and sometimes even mid-way. This time round he is contesting on TMC party and singing praises of Mamta Banerjee like a canary. On the other hand Congress party has fielded Tony Dias. This is interesting and dangerous at the same time. Though a new face in the political cauldron, he was an aspirant for TMC candidature 48 hours before he joined the Congress and was anointed for the party ticket side-lining five other aspirants. It is an open secret that he found favour with the party’s high and low command because of the influence of the notorious fish importer Ibrahim Maulana popularly known as ‘chemical’ or ‘formalin’ Ibrahim.

Ibrahim Maulana

In 2018 Goans were horrified to learn that raids conducted by the Food and Drugs Administration on the imported fish brought into the state by Ibrahim and his cronies had proved to be positive for being laced with carcinogenic chemical ‘formalin’. Formalin is a toxic chemical used to preserve bodies and prevent its decay in mortuaries. Chemical Ibrahim’s close rapport with former Congress chief minister Digambar Kamat and deputy chief minister in the BJP government and Goa Forward founder Vijay Sardessai is well known. This disreputable fish mafia chief used his links with Digambar and Vijay to corner the Congress ticket for Tony Dias so as to strengthen his hold and influence on decision making in the future. It is also well known that Ibrahim is also financing and funding Dias election campaign so as to ensure his victory. His ulterior motive is to form a lobby and continue to flood Goa with laced fish at the cost of health of gullible fish loving Goans. Which means that voting for Congress in Benaulim or Tony Dias would be strengthening the hands of ‘Chemical’ or ‘formalin’ Ibrahim, which is not the change we need to see.