By IANS,
Panaji : Notwithstanding the severe criticism it has attracted in the local media for the shoddy and insensitive handling of the rape case of a minor German girl, in which her mother has named the kin of two state cabinet ministers, Leader of Opposition in the Goa assembly Manohar Parrikar Friday gave a clean chit to the police, saying they were doing a good job.
Meanwhile, the chief justice of the Bombay High Court has sought details from the Goa Police regarding a minor German girl’s rape charge against Education Minister Atanasio Monserrate’s son Rohit and Warren Alemao, nephew of cabinet Minister Churchill Alemao.
“Credit is due to the police where required. They are doing a good job in their investigations in the rape case,” Parrikar claimed at a press conference held at the party head quarters in Panaji. Parrikar said the police were trying hard to crack the case and were working on the right track.
“The police has booked a case. They have even raided the education minister’s bungalow,” Parrikar informed.
The complaint, which was filed by Fadela Fuchs, the mother of the 14-year-old girl was registered 12 days after the mother complained to the police. The formal registration of the offence coincided with a stern communiqué issued by the German Consul General to the Goa chief secretary asking the latter to “vigorously pursue the investigation”.
Even 12 days after the offence was registered, the police have failed to track down Rohit Monserrate, who is ‘missing’. Atanasio Monserrate himself has been booked as an abettor to the crime.
Speaking to IANS Parrikar denied charges that he was soft-pedalling on the case of Education Minister Atanasio Monserrate, who has claimed that being named an abettor was not a serious matter.
The mother in another recent disclosure had claimed that Warren Alemao had also raped her minor daughter, an allegation, that he has denied.
Meanwhile, the Goa Police Friday claimed to have cracked the case of assault on lawyer-activist Aires Rodrigues, counsel for Fuchs.
Addressing a press conference at the police headquarters Friday evening, Superintendent of Police (North) Bosco George claimed that in all 11 people had been arrested, out of which six had confessed to the crime.
However, George refused to tell the media about the motive behind the assault. “We are still investigating the case,” George claimed, adding that more arrests were in the offing.
Rodrigues has repeatedly maintained that the assaulters had been let loose on him by Education Minister Atanasio Monserrate for taking up the minor German’s rape case.
The assault had occurred on the night of Oct 13, one day before Rodrigues was to accompany the German mother to Superintendent of Police Bosco George’s office to register the offence after a 12 day delay by the police.
The armed assault had left Rodrigues with two severed fingers and cuts on his chest and on his scalp.