Goa : AAP chief Palekar claims harassment by police in land grabbing case

Goa Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) president Amit Palekar was on Friday questioned for a third time by police in connection with a video released by a man accused in multiple land grab cases who escaped from crime branch custody last year, but was arrested later.

Palekar, carrying a toothbrush and toothpaste, appeared before the Old Goa police in the morning and was questioned for around an hour. AAP MLA Cruz Silva was present with his party colleague at the police station in a show of solidarity.  Talking to reporters after recording his statement, the Goa AAP president alleged political vendetta and said police were summoning him repeatedly, while ignoring others, including a senior police officer and a BJP MLA who were named by the land grab accused, Siddiqui Suleman Khan (55), in the video. Khan released two videos in December last year and in one of them, he claimed the police helped him escape from custody.  In the second video, he claimed he recorded the first clip at Palekar's behest. Palekar maintained the police were trying to hide their own embarrassment and were just harassing him. The AAP politician said Khan's escape from crime branch custody was a huge loss of face for the Goa police.  Palekar appeared before the police carrying a toothbrush and toothpaste and declared he was ready to "face anything". He vowed to expose "everyone" in his statement. The AAP leader questioned why summons was issued to him under section 35 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) as this provision is invoked in case of an accused.  The AAP politician was questioned twice earlier on December 24, 2024, and January 9, 2025, in connection with the video released by Khan. According to the summons issued on Thursday, there are reasonable grounds to question Palekar to "ascertain facts and circumstances in relation to the present investigation" into Khan's escape from custody.  The police had warned the failure to attend (questioning) or comply with the terms of this notice can render Palekar liable for arrest under section 35 (6) of the BNSS 2023. According to the BNSS section 35(6), if a person served with a notice fails to comply with its terms or is unwilling to identify himself, police may arrest him for the offence mentioned in the notice, subject to any orders issued by a court.  Khan, arrested by the Crime Branch in multiple land grab cases, escaped from custody on December 13, 2024, but was arrested from Kerala ten days later.  In December, Khan released a video in which he claimed the police had facilitated his escape from custody. The accused then released another video in which he claimed Palekar forced him to record the first clip.  The police summoned the AAP leader in connection with the second video.  The police have arrested constable Amit Naik for allowing the accused to escape from the Crime Branch custody from its Ribandar office near Panaji.  A case was filed against Naik under sections 156 (allowing prisoner to escape), 249-b (harbouring criminal), 253-b (harbouring offender), 260-c (intentional omission to apprehend on the part of public servant bound to apprehend person under sentence or lawfully committed) and 262 (escape from police custody) of the new criminal code BNS.