Goa women Cong chief questionned in POCSO case

Goa Pradesh Mahila Congress Committee (GPMCC) president Pratima Coutinho was on Wednesday questionned in connection with a POCSO case lodged against her for allegedly revealing identity of a molestation victim, a police official said.

Investigation officer police sub-inspector Sandhya Gupta questioned the Congress leader for over an hour at the Women's Police Station here this afternoon.

Coutinho was booked under section 74 of the Juvenile Justice Act,section 4 ofthe Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and section 8 (2) of Goa Children's Act on complaints lodged by the Shiv Sena and some NGOs earlier this year.

She was questionned in this connection on July 14.

The Congress leader had courted a controversy after she allegedly posted a picture of her with the mother of the minor girl who was allegedly molested by a man from Jharkhand earlier this year.

The victim is a resident of Netravali village in Sanguem assembly constituency in South Goa.

A delegation of the Mahila Congress led by Coutinho had visited the victim, after she filed a formal complaint with local police station.

Meanwhile, Coutinho Wednesday alleged that she was being "harassed" by the police, "as the accused in the molestation case works with an influential minister in the Goa government".

"All attempts are being made to harass me so that my voice is suppressed. I am being targetted by using police machinery because the Mahila Congress has taken up several causes, which has caused discomfort to the Goa government," she alleged.