Panaji, Nov 13 (IANS) The Goa police department was left red faced after four Superintendents of Police (SP) and three other senior police officials created a stir by locking themselves up in a bar at an offshore casino to avoid a media contingent.
The four superintendents of police - Bosco George (North district), Atmaram Deshpande (CID), Arvind Gawas (Traffic) and Vishram Borkar (Headquarters)- along with two deputy superintendents and an inspector Thursday night locked themselves up in Aqua, a bar onboard MV Casino Royale, to avoid media persons who were attending a press conference organised by the casino management.

The senior police officials were the focus of attention on board the casino vessel after they refused to step out of the closed bar room in the presence of the media.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has in the past campaigned against offshore casinos in the state, has said that the behaviour of the officials was “shameful for Goa”.

“All these senior police officials partying onboard the casinos is a very shameful thing for Goa. The government has no administrative control on its officers,” BJP general secretary Govind Parvatkar told reporters Friday, condemning the incident.

“We have always said that money earned through black channels and corruption in Goa went to the casino. This explains it,” Parvatkar said, adding that it was unbecoming of senior police officials to make a spectacle of themselves in such a manner.

When contacted, police spokesperson and SP CID Atmaram Deshpande refused to comment on the propriety of the officials to party on offshore casinos.

Tourism Minister Mickky Pacheco has in the past publicly vowed never to enter a casino again after his scuffle with the casino staffers in a land casino was caught on CCTV and released to the media by the casino management a few months ago.

The MV Casino Royale management has refused to comment on the issue. Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) chief Subhash Shirodkar has also condemned government servants and politicians patronising casinos.