Goa Minister Resigns Amid Allegations Of Sex Scandal

Whatever needs to be investigated at the government level will be done 100 percent: Pramod Sawant.

Panaji: Goa Urban Development and Social Welfare Minister Milind Naik resigned from Pramod Sawant’s Cabinet. His resignation comes amid the allegations of him being involved in the ‘Sex Scandal.’

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that he tenders his resignation for a fair and free probe in the matter. Pramod Sawant said, “He (Naik) has tendered his resignation for a free and fair investigation and I have accepted it. Whatever proof the Congress has given will be investigated.”

He said that Naik will put his side forth and “fight” at a personal level. “The allegations made against him are personal and what he will do about it will be a subject of his personal decision,” said Sawant.

Stating that the Ministerial post held by Naik will remain vacant, he said “Whatever needs to be investigated at the government level will be done 100 percent. Until then the post of Naik

“I have accepted his resignation and sent it to governor P S Sreedharan Pillai,” Sawant told TOI. It was on November 30 that Congress state President Girish Chodankar had first alleged, without naming Naik, that a minister was involved in a “sex scandal” and gave Sawant-led BJP government an ultimatum of 15 days to act against the minister.

Last week, Sawant had said he would act if the survivor in the alleged scandal files a complaint or if Congress names the minister involved. BJP state chief Sadanand Shet Tanavade had also challenged Chodankar to name the minister and had said if Congress names him, BJP would immediately take action.

On Wednesday, after the 15-day deadline given by Congress passed, Chodankar publicly named Milind Naik and alleged that a Bihar-based woman was sexually exploited by the minister. He said the BJP minister has misused his office, and that he has evidence to back his allegations against Naik.

Naik’s resignation may come as a major embarrassment to the BJP government in Goa in the run-up to the legislative assembly polls slated for February 2022. Fifty-eight-year-old Naik is a three-time MLA and also served as the power and housing minister in 2012. He represents the Mormugao assembly constituency in South Goa.

On December 10, a woman had filed a complaint in Bihar accusing Congress leader Sankalp Amonkar and other party workers from South Goa of extortion, sexual harassment, and criminal conspiracy.

According to the complaint filed in Bihar, the accused allegedly made a video and audio of her go viral on social media. She also accused them of extortion and sexual harassment and offenses under the Information Technology Act. While a zero FIR was lodged on Friday, the case was transferred to the Goa Police on Tuesday.

South Goa Superintendent of Police Abhishek Dhania said, “We received the complaint last evening and the FIR has been registered at Mormugao Police Station. It is a complaint of extortion, stalking, criminal conspiracy, and sections of the Information Technology Act.” He said on Wednesday that the investigation in the case would commence now.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Amonkar and other Congress leaders lodged a complaint against Naik at the women’s police station in Panaji and submitted what they claimed were cell phone records and other evidence of the minister allegedly sexually harassing the woman and forcing her to undergo an abortion.

“We have submitted all the evidence we had against Naik including the woman’s original phone and a copy. The victim has turned hostile and she was forced to file the complaint against us. I am ready to cooperate with the police,” Amonkar told reporters.

Amonkar said that the woman had first approached him in November 2019 and claimed that she was being exploited but was afraid to lodge a complaint. He said that he had assured her all the help but legally, it was necessary that she lodge a complaint. “She showed us the WhatsApp chats, video and audio and when I first saw it I was very angry. She said she was used, exploited, promised employment and threatened,” said Amonkar. He said that she had recorded a statement on her phone and handed over her original mobile with whatsapp chats, videos and audio on her phone to him and asked him to file a complaint on her behalf. He, however, said that five months back she had come back to him and asked him to return her phone because she was scared for herself and her child. He said that the messages were exchanged between the woman and the minister since 2015-16.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Amonkar played an audio clip between a conversation between a man and woman and claimed that it was Naik talking to the woman. He also shared screenshots of the WhatsApp chats that he said the woman had saved on her phone.

Mahila Congress president Beena Naik had said hours before Naik resigned, “The victim was widowed, the minister took advantage of that and had a relationship with her without her consent. Asking the victim to abort a fetus without her consent, is the murder of the baby. It’s a case of rape because it’s without the consent of the lady. If the government does not act against him in the next two days, all of us ladies will march to his house and make sure he is pulled out of his house. He should be removed from his position and made to sit at home.”

Amonkar had contested the Mormugao constituency from the Congress in 2017 assembly polls but lost to Naik by a slim margin of 140 votes.

After Naik’s resignation, Goa BJP president Sadanand Tanavade had said that the decision to resign was Naik’s own.

“He has resigned willingly to enable a free and fair investigation in the case. Anyone can make allegations. Whether they are true or not will be known after the investigation is carried out,” said Tanavade.

On Tuesday, Chodankar had said that he had revealed the concerned minister’s name to the Governor of Goa.