Kamat pats cops probing drug nexus

PANAJI - Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat Wednesday said officers investigating the alleged police-politician drug nexus were doing a “professional job”, even as a top Congress student leader accused an official in the probe team of having links with the drug mafia.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference in Panaji, state National Students Union of India (NSUI) president Sunil Kauthankar accused Deputy Superintendent of Police Chandrakant Salgaonkar of being in truck with the drugs lobby.

“In my statement to the Crime Branch, I have said that Salgaonkar has links to the drug mafia. I have also formally informed the officials to raid his residence, if they want to seize a cache of drugs,” Kauthankar said.

Kauthankar also accused the police of harrassing him, especially after he started a signature campaign demanding a federal probe into Goa’s drug nexus involving policemen and politicians.

State Home Minister Ravi Naik’s son Roy has been named by an Israeli newspaper as having links to the Israeli drug mafia operating in Goa.

“They summoned me to the police station (crime branch) and asked me to name drug dealers in Goa. This is an attempt to derail signature campaign started by NSUI calling for proper central probe in Goa’s drug trade,” Kauthankar said.

“This is unfair because people who raise the voice against drug lobby in Goa are harassed by police one of the reason because police themselves are involved in the dealings,” he further said.

Kamat, a Congress chief minister, however feigned ignorance about the allegations levelled against the police.

On the contrary the chief minister said: “The police is doing a professional job in the drugs case”.

Kamat refused to take further questions on the issue and restricted himself to repeating “the police is doing a professional job in the drugs case” refrain thrice.

Both the opposition and the students organisations across party lines have demanded that Ravi Naik should resign as home minister in order to facilitate an impartial probe against Roy by a central investigating agency.

Seven policemen have already been arrested for their alleged links to two Israeli drug dealer Yaniv Benaim alias Atala and David Driham alias Dudu.