Family’s statement sparks uproar, CM says will not withdraw Assagao case

Panaji: Following an uproar over the demolition of the house of Prinsha Agarwadekar at Assagao and chief minister Pramod Sawant subsequently transferring the case to the crime branch for investigation, the Agarwadekar family on Thursday caused another stir. Prinsha stated that the accused Pooja Sharma’s representative visited and held discussions with the Agarwadekars. This triggered speculations of a compromise.

However, the CM subsequently stated in no uncertain terms that the police case could not be withdrawn now at any cost.

“All those goons who had come to demolish the house will be thrown behind bars and we will run cases against them. My department will carry out the required inquiries and will take the strictest action against them. People may compromise, but govt will not. There can be no compromise on disturbing law and order. If they think we will not take action against the remaining (accused), they are mistaken. Our police teams have gone to Belagavi and Mumbai,” Sawant, who is also the state’s home minister, said.

Prinsha had said earlier on Thursday, “A representative of Pooja Sharma visited us on Wednesday and said they would help us restore the house to its original state. They have told us that our rights over the house will be given to us and no injustice will be done. We are satisfied with their reaction.”

Following her statement, a group of activists led by Rama Kankonkar alleged that the Agarwadekars had used the activists to highlight their case and after taking all assistance, had struck a compromise with the accused.

Though Prinsha later denied having struck any ‘compromise’ and called it “fake news”, the fact that the family held talks with the accused did not go down well across quarters as a team from Goa Police is in Mumbai on the lookout for Pooja Sharma. Prinsha’s statement also came as a surprise when the CM had already assured the family that govt would rebuild the demolished house.

“Let her (Prinsha) do anything. If she does not want govt to build the house for her, so be it. But I have begun according to the procedure. There will be action against everyone involved. We are not here to dance to their tunes. People will want to withdraw their case, but we won’t,” Sawant said.

Siolim MLA Delilah Lobo also said she was livid at the news of compromise.

“The case was handed over by the CM to the crime branch and the chief secretary is investigating the matter. On Wednesday, an engineer from the public works department came to survey the demolished house. He brought a contractor with him to reconstruct the house. But now we hear that Pooja Sharma’s agent came to settle the matter with the family. I don’t know what was told to the family. But my only request to the CM is that the case should come to its logical end. A message should go to the builder lobby that they cannot just come and demolish a house without following the proper procedures. Let everyone know that we Goans are not for sale,” said Lobo.



Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, and Mini Crossword.