Rumour also have an ounce of truth, Mr. Home Minister By Nisser Dias nisserdias at gmail.com SMS to 9422437029
The recent statement of the Home minister Ravi Naik, that some politicians are frustrated as they are not getting hafta (commission) from drug dealers because he cracked down on sale and consumption of drugs and thus leveling false charges against him and his son as kingpins in drug trade. He made this allegation while refusing to handover the investigation of his son’s alleged involvement into the drug trade to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is not very convincing.
To my mind there are two aspects to this utterance of the Home Minister. Firstly he has put his foot in his mouth by unknowingly contradicting his own statement in January this year that there were no drugs available in Goa, but then most politicians are known to contradict themselves at some point of time in their political career.
Secondly while saying that some politicians receive commission from sale of drugs in Goa and refusing to name them he has created bigger blunder and totally exposed himself for trying to muddle the issue and sweep it under the carpet in a bid to save his son Roy Naik.
Let me be very clear, it is not only the Opposition legislators that have demanded that the case be handed over to the CBI. This demand has come from different quarters including the highest court in Goa, but people fail to understand why the government is refusing to handover the case to the CBI.
Getting to the root of the allegation that Roy Naik is the kingpin in drug trade in northern coastal belt of Goa first surfaced in the year 2007 and the startling revelation was made by Fiona Mackeown mother of the 16 year old British victim Scarlet Keeling. At that nobody took her seriously simply because it was felt that she wanted to divert attention, but today even the coalition partners in the government are pointing fingers at Home minister’s son for his involvement in the drug trade.
The second indication or rather allegation surfaced when Lucky Farmhouse girlfriend of an Israeli drug peddler Yaniv Benahim alias Atala posted a video on the You Tube wherein he boasts about his close contacts with police attached to Narcotics Cell. She later disclosed to an Israeli tabloid that she has video of the minister’s son visiting their house. Assuming that she is not speaking the truth, why would the name of the same minister’s son surface repeatedly? This is a clear indication that there is some genuineness in the allegations and the people of Goa have a right to know the truth.
Taking the argument a bit further, one can say that the politicians, be it from the ruling or the Opposition has an axe to grind with the Home Minister and want to see his downfall, can the minister tell us what has two tourists Fiona Mackeown and Lucky Farmhouse has against him to malign his name?
If the Home minister feels that his rivals are trying to embarrass him, why does he not handover the case to CBI and that too when Roy Naik has claimed innocence before the media, so what is the fear. Why is the minister scared of his own shadow?
Otherwise the Home minister Ravi Naik is quite prompt in handing over investigation into cases to the Crime Branch (CB). If one goes by the list of the last 10 months, one can see that slightly controversial case has been transferred to the crime branch. Firstly the rape of Russian girl by a small time politician who contested against Benaulim MLA Mickky Pacheco was transferred to CB. Investigation into the release of a controversial CD ‘Dogui Bodmas’ again was transferred to CB. The investigation into the death of Nadia Torrado was transferred to CB; the investigation of involvement police officers in drug trade was transferred to CB.
Now here is a case where allegation are flying left, right and centre about Roy Naik being the kingpin in drug trade, but the government is unwilling to handover the investigation to the CBI. First and foremost the Home minister should resign inorder to pave way for free and fair investigation. But no, Ravi Naik seems to be hanging on to the powers of the office to oversee any telltale signs of his son’s involvement in drug trade are wiped out, but however hard he might try the traces will still remain.
Now lets us see, who all has made demands for the case to be handed over to the CBI. The High Court while hearing the bail applications of the some of the cops arrested for their involvement with drug dealers questioned the Advocate General why the case was not being transferred to CBI and they also asked whether it is because lots many skeletons would tumble out from the cupboards. The government rejected the request of the High Court to handover the case to CBI.
Then came the BJP who initially demanded CBI investigation into the case and followed it up by making the same demand during the assembly session was on and because their demand was not adhered too, they disrupted the house many a times. Ironically Home minister Ravi Naik who had absented himself in the Assembly almost throughout the session made an appearance on the second last day and not only refused to handover the case to CBI but went a step further to state that some legislators receive commission from drug sale but refused to name them.
Those legislators demanding the CBI inquiry have mentioned the name of the minister’s son umpteen number of times, so why was the minister scared to name those MLAs who receive haftas?
NCP MLA Mickky Pacheco demanded CBI investigation into the involvement of Roy Naik in drug trade before and after suffering incarceration. And being a member of the coalition government he too made the demand in the house. And this week the entire NCP unit in Goa has made the same demand.
National Students Union of India (NSUI) also had demanded that the involvement of a minister’s son be investigated by CBI and as a result its president Sunil Kautankar was waylaid and brutally assaulted few days after he made the demand.
And what the people of Goa want is the same thing that Home minister Ravi Naik be stripped off his ministry and the case handed over to the CBI for thorough investigation. Of Course we cannot expect our spineless chief minister Digambar Kamat to strip Ravi Naik of the portfolio but let it also not be said that demand for CBI inquiry into this case was made only by the Opposition or rather politicians, but by other authorities also and now people of Goa are demanding it. So let there be a CBI investigation into the alleged involvement of Roy Naik into drug trade in Goa. (ENDS)
======================================================== First published in Gomantak Times, Goa - August 12, 2010
