Panaji: The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) on Wednesday accused Goa Police of conspiring with BJP Yuva Morcha (BJYM), whose members held a protest outside Dabolim airport and allegedly attempted to block the motorcade of All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Mallikarjun Kharge while he was leaving the airport.
Kharge, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, was in Goa on Monday to attend a Congress convention and meet party leaders.
“He is not just the AICC president but also the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha with Z-plus security cover, and was a state guest. We see a conspiracy and if Goa Police are not involved, then they should clarify,” said GPCC spokesperson Amit Palekar.
Pointing to an FIR registered by the Goa Police against youths who had recently held a protest in the city for allegedly holding it without permission, Palekar asked, “So why no FIR against BJP youth wing members?” He questioned why the police did not arrest the BJP youth wing members who held the protest outside Dabolim airport, a high-security area.
Palekar was addressing a press briefing at the Congress House in the city on Wednesday. Also present were Mahila Congress president Pratiksha Khalap, Youth Congress president Archit Naik and Seva Dal chief Rajan Ghate.
“Why has the airport authority still not filed a complaint against them? We will not let this just be settled down. We will approach the court,” said Palekar.
The Congress stated that the alleged breach of security arrangements was a serious concern and that such actions could have compromised the security of a protected political leader and posed a potential risk to other persons travelling with the convoy.
The Congress stated that a formal complaint had been lodged seeking appropriate action against those responsible, but an FIR had not been registered despite the alleged security protocol violation.