Thaindian News

Panaji, May 28 (IANS) The Goa government Friday ruled out a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the drug mafia nexus but a ruling Congress legislator has said that the federal agency alone can clean up the narcotics mess in the state.
Agnelo Fernandes, who represents the constituency of Calangute, a popular beach village known for easy availability of drugs, told IANS Thursday that incidents of policemen being beaten up by the narcotics mafia were quite common in his area.

“The local police will not be able to investigate their own officers who are linked to the narcotics mafia. Only the CBI will be able to do justice to the nexus probe,” Fernandes said, adding that he had asked Chief Minister Digambar Kamat to hand over the probe to the CBI.

On Friday, the Goa government told the Panaji bench of the Bombay High Court that it was not willing to hand over the probe into the police-politician-drug mafia nexus to the CBI. The government’s stand is against the recommendations of police and the state home ministry.

Fernandes earlier said on the floor of the house that if the drug dealers in Goa were not reined in, they would not hesitate even to shoot the chief minister.

Referring to Tuesday’s incident in which a police constable attached to the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) was beaten up by suspected drug dealers in Calangute, Fernandes said that drug dealers often beat up policemen in the area.

The legislator said that when constable Mahabaleshwar Sawant was beaten up by drug dealers, he called for help from the Calangute police station but no police officer was forthcoming to help him.

“One police officer from the Calangute police station was beaten up by a gang of Nigerian drug dealers. But no complaint was filed because these officers have dealings with them,” Fernandes said.