Parrikar demands removal of DGP

The issue of some senior police officers allegedly visiting a Casino when off-duty is snowballing into a controversy day after day, with BJP opposition leader Manohar Parrikar today demanding removal of the state director general of police Bhimsen Bassi for reportedly comparing the legalised gambling dens with temples and other places of worship.

''The running of Casinos may be legal in Goa like running of prostitution dens and possession of narcotics in some other countries. But it is not moral of the senior cops visiting the Casino, either on invitation or gambling on board even on off-duty as it amounts to violation of code of conduct and official propriety,'' Mr Parrikar told mediapersons.

The DGP, he said, cannot be casual about the people's sentiments by reportedly comparing the Casinos with temples and thus he should not deserve to be in the ''responsible position had he really aired such sentiments.'' The DGP, he said, should have enquired into the episode and placed the report before the government or the public when people have been demanding banning of casinos, which had been resorting to many illegalities he had pointed out many times in and out of the state legislative assembly.

''He should go through the CCTV footage available with the Casino and find out whether there was any impropriety involved. Only then, he should come out with his observations,'' Mr Parrikar said.

Some journalists, selected by the Casino, to acquaint them with the working of the casinos in Goa, reported that the cops had shut themselves on citing the mediapersons a few days before, he said.

A section of the press had also reported that Home Minister Ravi Naik had ordered the DGP for a probe, but the former had stoutly denied it citing it does not require a probe because the casinos were being run on licences with the government.

Interestingly, the journalists, who were on board the casino also gambled there with chips worth Rs 2,000 gifted by the authorities.

While, some had lost, others gained good amounts as was reported by a local newspaper today that questioned the morality of the mediapersons.

Meanwhile, some NGO groups had also condemned the police for finding themselves in the casinos, which they claimed, had resulted in loss of trust reposed on the cops.

It might be recalled that the BJP had been demanding removal of the Casinos from the the Mandovi bay to offshore in Fort Aguada Bay while the NGS had been asking for closure of the Casinos which had ruined several families but even encouraging vices including money laundering, drugs and prostitution with ill-gotten wealth.

The Casinos however challenged in the Highcourt the government order that directed them to move away from Mandovi Bay saying they loose a of investment made if they were parked far off. Six casinos had been operating in Goa earning Rs.5 crores from each by way of licence fee besides Rs 50 lakhs by way of taxes.

Goa is the only state in India giving licences for casinos, both on and off-shore, for running their businesses and it has recently enhanded the entry fee to Rs 2,000 per passenger as against Rs 200 earlier in vogue in the belief that it would discourage the poor from visiting the Casinos where ''entertainment of all sorts'' is the order of the day and night with feeder boats taking the passengers to the main vessel anchored in Mandovi bay.

-- (UNI) -- 17BY23.xml

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