Book Goa top cop for shieding drug trade, says assembly panel

Panaji, Oct 17 (IANS) A case should be filed against Goa Police chief Kishen Kumar and other police officers who are "fully aware" of the drug trade in the state and tried to hide information on it, says a report of the assembly committee on the police-drug mafia nexus.

The committee, headed by legislator Francisco Pacheco, in its report tabled in the house Wednesday also recommended criminal action against former home minister Ravi Naik and his son Roy, who, the report claimed, was linked to narcotics trade in Goa.

"Besides the ongoing departmental and other investigations/inquiries against the police officers, a fresh FIR may be filed against the DGP (director general of police) and other police officers in the light of the findings of this Committee and the investigations and other actions may be fast tracked," the report said.

It said the DGP had committed "gross contempt" of the committee by not heeding the summons to attend its sittings and "refusing to part with critical information to the committee".

"There is more than reasonable doubt that DGP Kishen Kumar was fully aware of the happenings, past and present in the police force, with regard to drug trade," the report says.

The report claimed there was enough to "establish the collusion" between police and security agencies, both state and central, for promoting drug trade and mafia, and that adequate steps should be taken to act against the errant enforcement officials.

The report said that Naik, the state's home minister in the former Congress government, had "closed his eyes to the drug trade", which allowed his son Roy to dabble in it.

"The then home minister of Goa closed his eyes to the drug trade and drug mafia with whom his son Roy Naik was fearlessly engaging himself for his individual benefits as well as his father's and others' common benefits," it said.

The report recommends that the house should expel Naik from its membership retrospectively and withdraw his salaries and allowances drawn by him in this period.

It recommends that state as well as central agencies should proceed against Naik and attach all his illegal acquisitions and assets which are disproportionate to his known sources of income.