Goa CM, police deny death threat complaints to workers

The truth behind an alleged 'death threat' by Goa BJP's organising secretary Satish Dhond and party MLA Pramod Sawant to workers of a government-recognised employment society muddied further Monday.

While Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar Monday dismissed the complaint as fictitious, Inspector General of Police Sunil Garg told reporters that he was not aware of such a complaint pending with the police department.

"If something has not happened, then what can we say," Parsekar said, adding that there was no witness to verify the contents of a complaint filed with the Panaji Police by one Shabi Pednekar last week.

Pednekar was one of the several hundred workers of the Goa Recruitment and Employment Society, who have been striking for over a week, demanding permanent government jobs which were allegedly assured to them.

In his complaint, a copy of which was distributed to be the media, Pednekar claimed that Dhond, accompanied by Sawant, had threatened to quarter him and his family, if they did not withdraw from the strike.

After a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson formally denied that such a threat has been given by its officials Saturday, Parsekar Monday called the same as fictitious.

When contacted for comment, Garg said that he "was not aware of such a complaint".