Women booked for heckling Goa minister, insulting Tri-colour

An FIR was filed against two women in South Goa on Monday for insulting the national flag, abusing Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane and assaulting his bodyguard during an official visit to a local hospital on Sunday.

The FIR was lodged at Margao police station in South Goa district.

Rane has alleged that the two women, who publicly heckled him -- an incident which was caught on video -- had been planted by the Congress party.

South Goa Superintendent of Police Chandan Choudhury has confirmed the registration of the FIR.

"We are probing the matter. An FIR has been filed by the minister's PSO (Personal Security Officer)," Choudhury told reporters.

The FIR filed by Sharad Chopdekar, the PSO of Rane, has been registered under sections 352 (assault), 353 (preventing government servant from discharge of duty) and 504 (breach of peace), read along with relevant sections of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act 1971.

Speaking to IANS, Rane said that the two women heckled him during his visit to a government hospital in South Goa on Sunday and apart from hurling abuses at him, they also grabbed at the Tri-colour affixed on his official car.

"Looks like they were planted by the Congress there to harass me. The Congress is a frustrated party at the moment... They also hit my PSO," said Rane, who in March had quit the Congress party to join the cabinet in the BJP-led coalition government led by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.

The video of the two women heckling Rane had gone viral on Sunday.

--IANS

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