HC to government: Probe senior cop who 'beat up' man with noisy bar complaint

PANAJI: The high court of Bombay at Goa has directed the state government to act against a senior police officer, Vishwesh Karpe, who allegedly assaulted a citizen, Cirilo de Souza, who complained about loud music in Anjuna. A division bench asked the home secretary to take necessary action in terms of disciplinary rules applicable to Karpe.
The court endorsed the report of the Goa Human Rights Commission in the case, which found that Karpe "indulged in gross abuse of power by having assaulted de Souza and also by illegally detaining him at the police station". The commission had recommended that the case be investigated properly by higher officers, moreso by the home secretary.
Karpe, who was then PI of Anjuna police station, is now deputy superintendent of police (dySP), Porvorim.
The case pertains to new year's day of 2013, when de Souza called the Anjuna police station to complain about loud music played at HillTop bar, near St Michael's convent.
He was then called to the police station, and when he reached there, he told Karpe that the sound level of the music was 100 decibels, much higher than the 55 permissible by law, and requested him to check the sound level. De Souza then said that Karpe told him that it was none of his business and started abusing him. The then PI also manhandled him by slapping him on his face 7-8 times and punching him in the stomach, he said. De Souza then approached the GHRC, which, on considering the evidence, issued the report, which was challenged by Karpe in the high court. Stating that this was not done, the high court said that the state government, by not even bothering to order an independent investigation into de Souza’s complaint..., “lends its support to police officers who indulge in human rights atrocities”, and becomes “an accessory to the act of denial of a citizen’s human rights and fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution”.
“We find that there is no case made out for interference with the findings arrived at in the inquiry report dated September 24, 2015, of the GHRC, or with its recommendations to the government of Goa,” stated a bench comprising justices Mahesh Sonak and Valmiki Menezes. “Accordingly, the writ petition is dismissed with costs of Rs 10,000. The costs must be deposited in this court within four weeks from today.” The high court also noted that Karpe claimed he had an unblemished service record, when in fact there have been at least five complaints made against him by different persons before the State Police Complaints Authority (SPCA). On at least two of these occasions, the SPCA censured Karpe or directed him to render social service. The bench thus directed the home secretary to institute an inquiry into de Souza’s allegations, and also consider orders passed by the SPCA when considering Karpe’s past conduct.