A Goa Minister has termed the action of the police in cracking down on rave parties as ‘unbecoming behaviour’, coming close on the heels of a national uproar over political interference officials performing their duties.
Dayanand Mandrekar who is the Minister for Art and Culture in the Manohar Parrikar-led BJP Government, while speaking at an inaugural function of a new police station singled out SP Vijay Singh, who was the then Superintendent of North Goa District, saying that the police action was killing tourism industry.
“He was SP (superintendent of police) North. He should have stayed in his office in Porvorim. What was his motive to come to the beaches acting like a goonda during raids. It was not becoming of him,” Mandrekar said in the presence of several top-level police officials as well as SP Vijay Singh himself.
IPS Officer Vijay Singh had stopped several rave parties after10 pm at night citing sound restrictions as well as other raids on parties that are known to be hotbeds for drug pushers and other illegal activities.
Singh’s raids unsettled many local politicians and party organisers dependent on the continuance of parties and other allied activities, who accused the police of killing the industry.
local residents, on the other hand were very happy with the bold action initiated by Singh. Chapora, where the new police station is inaugurated is one of key drug pushing centres in coastal Goa and is notorious for its narcotics mafia.
Incidentally, the village is part of the legislative assembly segment of Siolim, from where Mandrekar is elected. “The beach parties stopped and the tourism in the area went down,” said Mandrekar, who has been a part of “Mr Clean” Manohar Parrikar’s cabinet even during his earlier term in 2002.
Mandrekar’s comments come at a time when the suspension of an IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal for doing her job and following the law in taking on sand mining in the state.
The opposition Congress lost no chance in taking a dig at the ruling party. Spokesperson Sudip Tamhankar said that the minister was well as the BJP were openly backing the drug mafia in the state.
“We have been saying this for a long time now. This statement only goes to prove the same. They cannot give jobs to people therefore they want them to deal in drugs and earn money,” Tamhankar said.
BJP spokesperson Dr. Wilfred Mesquita said that he had not spoken to the minister yet and therefore could not comment. DGP Kumar was unavailable for comment.