Kashinath alleges conspiracy byOld Goa police in assault case

NT Reporter

Panaji

Activist Kashinath Shetye on Saturday accused the officer-in-charge of Old Goa Police Station and a PSI attached to the station of hatching a conspiracy to register a case of extortion and assault against him after he was allegedly assaulted on Friday at an illegal landfilling site involving mangroves and salt pans on the outskirts of the city.

“There is a very serious concern regarding these two officers. They were briefed in the morning that the accused would come and assault me, and then they had to register an offence,” Shetye said while speaking to reporters at Azad Maidan on Saturday.

He alleged that after the incident, the accused went to Old Goa Police Station. “Within minutes the FIR was registered against me,” Shetye said.

Old Goa Police said the complaint was filed by Yogesh Tigadi (40), who alleged that at Morombi-O-Pequeno, Merces, Domnic Pereira, a resident of Santa Cruz, and Shetye, a resident of Ribandar, acting with common intention, came to his property and demanded Rs 15 lakh on the pretext of settling the PIL related to alleged landfilling
on the property.

Police said the complainant alleged that after he refused to pay the money, a fight broke out during which the accused persons allegedly assaulted him.

Police also said
another FIR had been registered based on a complaint filed by Shetye alleging assault by Tigadi. Shetye said there was a court order directing police to register an FIR in connection with the alleged destruction of mangroves through illegal landfilling, but claimed that Old Goa Police had failed to act on it.

Referring to the extortion allegation, Shetye claimed that they possessed audio recordings in which Tigadi was allegedly seeking help and offering money to settle the land-filling matter.

“When I went to the police station, my complaint was not recorded by the police, but the accused’s complaint was registered first,” Shetye said.