Goa Congress chief demands CM Sawant to make probe details of Siddhi Naik's death public

Goa Congress president Girish Chodankar on Saturday said that state Chief Minister Pramod Sawant must make public the progress made in the investigation into the death of Siddhi Naik.

The Congress president, in a jab at the state's chief minister, said that the BJP government which is led by Sawant, has failed to keep law and order in the state. The Siddhi Naik death mystery shows the government's inability to investigate crimes quickly and bring those responsible to justice.

Goa Congress President on Siddhi Naik death case

Chodankar said, "The father of the unfortunate girl is running from pillar to post for justice. We had heard from a senior leader from the government that before the twelfth-day rituals of late Naik, the mystery of her death will be solved. Unfortunately, even after one month, the people of Goa are waiting to know the truth."

He said that till now, the government has made no public statement on this matter. Instead, the Goa Congress president claimed that attempts were made to place blame on the family by labelling the death a "suicide" case. There was a blame game between police and medics over who should judge if the death was "murder" or "suicide" when the girl's father filed a complaint, Chodankar remarked.

"We appeal to Sawant to make public the status of the investigation and urge everyone not to victimise the family of Siddhi Naik and doing character assassination," he noted. Chodankar stated, "We also demand that the Director-General of Police take cognisance of the complaint by the father. "I appeal to everyone to call the late Siddhi Naik a Daughter of Goa and help the government to deliver justice to her. If we do not solve this mystery, it will not be just the failure of the government but of the people of Goa," he said. 

Siddhi Naik case

Meanwhile, Tara Kerakar, a social worker who has been calling for justice for Siddhi Naik, has received threatening phone calls, urging her to withdraw her lawsuit. On Tuesday, a three-person Committee presented a report to the dean of the Goa Medical College (GMC) urging the police to investigate the cause of death of 19-year-old Siddhi Naik. The parents of Siddhi Naik met with Goa's DGP on Wednesday morning. A delay in police inquiry has been reported by Siddesh Naik, the father of Siddhi Naik, who also requested speedy action and justice for his daughter after filing a murder charge.

The medical board of GMC, Bambolim, which was formed to assess the Siddhi Naik death case, released its findings recommending that the police investigate the method of death.

Following a complaint from the victim's father who suspected foul play, a medical board committee was formed last week to review the medical results in the girl's death. The three-person committee, which included Pathology Department Head Prof Dr Wiseman Pinto, OBG Department Head Prof Dr Guruprasad Pednekar, and Professor of Forensic Medicine Dr A V Fernandes, submitted their report, suggesting that the police should investigate the "manner of her death."

According to the report presented to GMC Dean Dr Shivanand Bandekar, Siddhi died from drowning, but the police must look into the "manner of death.".

Image: ANI/PTI