from Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji (GA)

Panaji, Apr 29: Heated arguments between a BJP legislator and forest department officials in the wildlife sanctuary has snowballed into major controversy after the department lodged police complaint against the MLA.
 
Ramesh Tawadkar, representing Poinguinim constituency, which has Khotigao Wildlife Sanctuary, reportedly objected to the forest department’s alleged brutal beating of an accused apprehended for liquor smuggling through the sanctuary on April 26.
 
The forest department officials who entered into a heated arguments with the legislator for his objections later filed a police complaint against him for interfering in the investigations. Range Forest Officer Paresh Parab has filed the complaint at Canacona, 80 kms southwards of Panaji.
 
Forest department had apprehended an accused who was found smuggling liquor through a pathway in Khotigao wildlife sanctuary, which is a protected area.
 
Tawadkar said that the forest department officials were brutally assaulting the accused and he rushed to the RFO’s office upon hearing the screams. “I went there to check what was wrong as it is hardly two and half kilometers away from my house. I was on my way back,” he said.
 
While forest department has accused Tawadkar of interfering in the investigations, the latter has also filed a counter complaint against the RFO for assaulting a person in his office.
 
Back in Panaji, the top brass of BJP leaders comprising leader of ppposition Manohar Parrikar, North Goa MP Sripad Naik and party leader Narendra Sawaikar along with Tawadkar on Wednesday April 29 met conservator of forest Rajesh Kumar and demanded that impartial inquiry should be conducted into entire incident.
 
“The MLA rushed to the RFO’s office only after he heard screams from inside. The department offers were mercilessly beating up persons whom they had arrested with liquor,” Parrikar told reporters after meeting the forest department official.
 
He said that the any liquor seizure case falls within the excise department’s jurisdiction and forest department should have informed the excise.
 
Clarifying that neither he nor Tawadkar supports the liquor smugglers, Parrikar said that his MLA rushed there only to rescue someone who was being beaten up by forest department officials.
 
“What right government officials have got to beat a person even if he is a culprit? Isn’t it the duty of legislator to intervene when government officers behave arrogantly?,” Parrikar questioned.
 
He said that the party will not keep mum, if police acts against Tawadkar. “Let the inquiry happen into entire incident within a day or two,” the leader of opposition said.