Local Goa News

Friday, June 10, 2016

Tawadkar charge-sheeted in 2009 Cotigao rioting case

CANACONA: Following directions from higher-ups, Canacona police inspector Filomeno Costa Friday finally filed charge sheet against Sports Minister Ramesh Tawadkar and seven others in the 2009 Cotigao wildlife sanctuary rioting case, seven years after the incident had occurred.
The charge sheet was filed before the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Canacona.
Tawadkar has been charge-sheeted under Sections 143 (forming unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 451 (trespass), 353 (assault on government servant and deterring him from discharging his duties), 224 (obstructing to his lawful apprehension), 225 (obstructing to his lawful apprehension for another person) and 506 (II) r/w 149 IPC (threatening with dire consequences and forming unlawful assembly).
Tawadkar, who is a legislator from Canacona constituency in South Goa, was booked for barging into the office of range forest officer (RFO) in the Cotigao wildlife sanctuary and forcibly taking away two persons, who were detained for trespassing into the sanctuary, from the custody of the forest officials.
The seven others, who have been charge-sheeted include Manoj Padwalker and Gajanan Naik from Karwar, Santosh Desai from Mastimol, Raju Gaonkar from Gaondongrem, Deepak Gaonkar and Janu Tawadkar from Amonem and Damu Naik from Bhatpal.
The rioting incident had occurred on April 27, 2009. A complaint was lodged by then RFO Paresh Porob in which he had stated that forest officials had detained two persons from Karwar (Manoj and Gajanan) for their unauthorised entry into the wildlife sanctuary. While the two were detained on the day of the incident around 4.30 pm, Tawadkar, along with some persons, barged into the office of the RFO around 8 pm and forcibly took away the two accused from the custody of the RFO, the complaint states.
Despite the fact that a public prosecutor had given the green signal to prosecute Tawadkar in 2014, the police had been found wanting in charge-sheeting the minister.
It is understood that in October last, the police had submitted a detailed report to Superintendent of Police, South, Shekhar Prabhudesai with a proposal to charge sheet the minister. This had happened after the JMFC Canacona had sought to know the reasons behind the delay in filing the charge sheet.
It may also be noted that advocate A Rodrigues had served a legal notice on Chief Secretary and Director General of Police (DGP), threatening to move the High Court if the minister was not charge-sheeted within a week’s time.

NT Network Goa News

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