NT NETWORK
MAPUSA/porvorim
Tension gripped Porvorim on Monday evening as a clash broke out between the supporters of BJP candidate Guruprasad Pawaskar and the supporters of Both parties have filed counter complaints against each other for threatening and using abusive language.
Soon after the incident, Khaunte rushed to the Mapusa police station along with his supporters and filed a complaint. According to the complaint, Khaunte and his supporters were campaigning in Porvorim around 8 pm when the BJP candidate came along with his supporters and started hurling abuses and the incident almost turned into one of physical abuse. Khaunte has also stated that one Bittu Kambli threatened to kill them.
Speaking to reporters, Khaunte said, “We were campaigning peacefully when BJP supporters, around 20-25 of them, came with an intention of creating nuisance and then Bittu and others started abusing us. It was a pre-planned move of BJP to instigate us, as they have lost ground in Porvorim and also in Goa.” He said, “We were 500 of us and they were hardly 20-25 but we did not want to get involved in any altercation. Hence, we tried to calm the situation and all moved away because they are planning tactics to gain sympathy.”
When contacted, Mapusa police inspector Tushar Lotlikar said that acting on the complaint of Khaunte, police has registered a case of rioting and threatening. He said that the other party has approached Porvorim police, who, he said, would complete the procedure of registering the complaint and later transfer it to Mapusa police.
Meanwhile, a complaint has been lodged with Porvorim police accusing members from the Khaunte group of trying to assault the BJP candidate Pawaskar, while allegedly assaulting one of the members from the Pawaskar group.
A complaint has been lodged by one Rajesh Narvenkar from Penha de Franca. Porvorim police have forwarded the complaint to Mapusa police as the area comes under the jurisdiction of Mapusa police.
According to police, the complainant has named Soniya Pednekar, panch member of Succorro panchayat, Suraj Borkar, Kisan Satardekar and 20-25 other unknown male and female members from Khaunte group.
According to the complainant, the accused pushed and tried to assault the BJP candidate and further abused and threatened him with dire consequences. The complainant was allegedly assaulted with fist blows, police said referring to the complaint. The accused also tried to assault Pawaskar group members and passed slogans against BJP and Pawaskar, the complaint states.