NOW NEXT TURN OF THE CONSTABLE TO DENY CIPRIANO’S MURDER IN CUSTODY

PANJIM: Suspended police constable Sandip Shirvaikar has denied that any police officer, except the guard on duty, ever went to the room where Cipriano Fernandes was held after his arrest on January 7.  In his deposition before the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC), Shirvaikar said that there was only one police guard in the ‘officers room’ adjacent to the police inspector’s cabin at Panjim town police station. 

“There was nobody in the room except a police guard – constable Bale to keep watch over Cipriano after he was detained under preventive measure based on Georgina Nunes’ complaint,” he said.

“He was left alone till the next day when we had to rush him to Goa Medical College and Hospital after he complained of giddiness,” the Head constable, who has been suspended for procedural lapses, told JMFC Shabnam Sheikh.

His statement is an outright denial of Georgina’s deposition in which she had claimed that she saw couple of policemen kicking Cipriano in the closed room on the fateful day.

While Georgina claimed that she had peeped through the window glass from outside the police station, Shirvaikar told the Magistrate that the window glasses are always closed and covered with curtains.

Cipriano, 39, a seafarer, was in Goa on holidays when he was arrested on January 7 after his lady friend Georgina complained against him of threatening her with a knife. He died in police custody on January 9.

The crime branch is investigating the custodial death, which has been confirmed by sub divisional magistrate’s (SDM) report. Three officials – Inspector Sandesh Chodankar, Sub-Inspector Radhesh Ramnathkar and Shirvaikar were suspended for procedural lapses.

Recalling the fateful day, when he was on duty from 8 am onwards, Shirvaikar stated that Cipriano was detained for non-cognizable offence on Georgina’s complaint.  After the control room informed the police station about the complaint, we sent a team of local intelligence bureau who returned to the police station with Georgina.

“We asked her to file a complaint, which was registered as non-cognizable after which we asked her to go home. We assured that we would look into the matter. But she compelled us to pick up Cipriano, as she feared that he would murder her,” he said adding, “we tried to pacify her but she said that if we do not take action on her complaint, she would complain against us to higher authorities.”

Allegedly bowing to her pressure, the Panjim police team had to take action and proceeded to pick up Cipriano in a private Bolero jeep, which was arranged by Georgina. The entire episode started from 8 pm onwards even as police inspector Sandesh Chodankar had come to the police station for a while after a meeting at Porvorim office.

“He (Cipriano) was brought to the police station at about 10.45.pm. He was kept in the officers’ room. He refused to go for medical examination and even food. Next morning on January 8, we woke him up at 7 am to offer tea but he once again refused,” he said in the two-hour long deposition.

Since the Head Constable was signing off on January 8 morning, he preferred to keep Cipriano in the police station so that he could be produced before the SDM without any delay.  “I went home to my Dona Paul residence to freshen up on January 8. On my way back to the police station, I was informed that Cipriano collapsed due to giddiness,” he added.

Earlier from the place of his arrest, the Head Constable admitted, that although Cipriano requested to take him for medical as he met with an accident and injured his head, he was not taken for medical.  “While on way from Porvorim to Panjim police station, Cipriano requested to take him for medical. But Georgina said that he was making excuses to escape and that he is ‘mental and criminal’.

Moreover, if we take him for medical, she would complaint to senior police officers because of which we brought him to police station first,” he recalled.  His further deposition will be recorded on March 10.

Reacting to the Shirvaikar’s statement Georgina has rubbished his overall statement before the JMFC. “It is total false…rubbish claims made by Shirvaikar. This is an attempt to save himself. If I forced him to do what all he told the Court, why he asked to changed my statement before the SDM,” she said.