PANAJI: South Goa superintendent of police (SP) Sunita Sawant was removed from her position late Monday night, just hours after she sent a wireless message to all police stations to collect information on senior functionaries and members of the Hindu right-wing outfit, Bajrang Dal. Usually, SP-level transfer orders are issued by state govt, but in this case, Goa police transferred Sawant via a wireless message.
Anti-narcotics cell SP, Tikam Singh Verma, has been appointed as the new South Goa SP.
Police said that based on the message sent out by Sawant on Monday morning, police stations began to collect the details of leaders and members of Bajrang Dal to submit the information to her, and that when senior functionaries of Bajrang Dal learnt about this, they immediately began pressuring the authorities to transfer her out of South Goa.
Later in the evening, Goa police sent a wireless message directing Sawant to vacate the office, and late at night, Sawant sent a wireless message informing that she had complied. Sawant was then directed to report to the police headquarters.
Bajrang Dal gradually became active in the state from mid-June 2023. Its members were seen protesting openly for the first time at Calangute over the removal of a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj there. Since then, they have been very active in the state.
In July 2024, members of Bajrang Dal protested outside the South Goa District Congress Office at Margao against Lok Sabha opposition leader Rahul Gandhi for his alleged ‘anti-Hindu’ speech in Parliament.
Last month, Telangana MLA T Raja Singh participated in Bajrang Dal Goa Vibhag’s Shaurya Yatra event at Curchorem.
Police said what also could have led to the transfer of Sawant is an incident that occurred in South Goa recently. Police had visited the house of one person on Sunday night to arrest him after he was booked for allegedly outraging the modesty of a woman. An FIR was registered based on the order of the local court. Police said that based on directions, Sawant directed the police to visit that person’s house to arrest him, but they could not do so.
