Goa cops made to do squats for stopping bureaucrat's car
What's the story
In a bizarre incident, North Goa Superintendent of Police (SP) Harischandra Madkaikar allegedly made police personnel do squats at his office after they stopped a vehicle belonging to an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer at a Santa Cruz checkpoint. The incident occurred when Old Goa police and Indian Reserve Battalion (IRBn) set up a blockade in Santa Cruz.
Incident details
IAS officer's vehicle stopped at Santa Cruz checkpoint
The vehicle, with a BR registration number, was headed toward Panaji when it was stopped for checking. Reportedly, the driver identified himself as an IAS officer and waved his ID card instead of showing a driving license. He then left the spot but returned shortly after, opened his car trunk and threw items on the road asking police to "now check the car."
Official response
Goa DGP criticizes Madkaikar's actions
The IAS officer later called up a senior officer to complain about the incident, after which Madkaikar summoned the police personnel to his office and made them do squats. Goa Director General of Police Alok Kumar has criticized Madkaikar's actions as "unwarranted." Speaking to TOI, he said he had spoken to the SP about following the rule book and giving proper briefings to police personnel. Kumar also stressed that such punishment could demoralize officers from performing their duties effectively.