Renowned veterinary Doctor Gustavo Pinto was livid with the lukewarm response of the Panjim police to a brutal assault on his wife that left her injured.
The alleged laissez-faire attitude of the police and the treatment she received at Goa Medical College (GMC) where she was sent for a medical exam has left the woman's family and neighbours shocked.
“Are women in Goa safe now?” is the common refrain.
Josefa Pinto, wife of the popular veterinarian, was thrown to the ground and assaulted late on September 9 night outside her apartment in Fontainhas. Her shocked husband displayed dismay in the manner police are reacting to crime against women.
“I do not know the fate of the common people, but if I go by the manner in which my wife was treated at the police station and later at GMC after the assault, it is shocking,” Dr Gustavo Pinto told the Gomantak Times. Dr Gustavo Pinto is alarmed by the collapse of the law and order situation in Goa.
Dr Pinto claimed that his wife was assaulted from behind by an unknown person when she was about to enter the apartment. “He pushed my wife down and started hitting her with fists and blows and fled away from the scene,” claimed Dr Pinto.
“The assailant did not steal anything from my wife but only assaulted her. We went to the police station after the assault from where we were sent to GMC for medical examination and it was only later that the police registered a complaint and we reached home at 5 am,” stated Dr Pinto.
Dr Pinto claimed that he will be meeting the Director General of Police (DGP) on Wednesday to register his complaint against the apathy of the police.
“A Non-Cognizable (NC) offence has been registered against an unknown person since the face of the assailant could not be seen in the cover of darkness,” Nikhil Palyekar, Police Inspector (PI) of Panjim Police station told Gomantak Times.
“There are chances that the person may have assaulted the woman with the intention of snatching her chain or money. The exact motive of this attack is unknown," stated Palyekar.