Utt Goenkara approaches Governor against Viswajit Rane

Panaji, Aug 11 (UNI) An eight-member delegation of ''Utt Goenkara'', an NGO here, today urged Governor S C Jamir to direct police to initiate action against Health Minister Viswajit Rane for allegedly threatening social activist Aires Rodrigues with dire consequences for exposing the Minister's alleged acts of commission and omission in land deals.

The delegation, led by Adv Rodrigues himself, called on the Governor at Raj Bhavan. The Governor assured the delegation that he will call for a status report on the police investigations in the case and also arrange a meeting between the Minister and Rodrigues soon.

Adv Rodrigues had lodged a complaint with the Old Goa police against Mr Rane alleging that he had received a threatening call on July 31 on his mobile phone. It was later found that the Minister had made the call through his wife Divya Rane's mobile phone.

The delegation complained to the Governor that the police, under political pressure, was ''going slow'' on the investigation despite possessing all the details.

The delegation also took objection to the ''unprecedented security'' provided to the Minister even after the episode, without initiating any action against him. The delegation told the Governor that the state exchequer should not be burdened by providing security to the Minister who feels threatened by land sharks on account of his alleged personal and private misdeeds and deals that may have gone sour following scrapping of the controversial Goa Regional Plan-2011.

UNI