Panaji: The Goa government has transferred South Goa district Superintendent of Police (SP) Sunita Sawant by issuing a late night wireless message from the control room, officials said.
SP Sawant was transferred on Monday night as part of a routine procedure, an official said on Wednesday.
Opposition Congress alleged that the SP's "sudden" and "politically motivated" transfer came after she began collecting information about Bajrang Dal leaders in the state.
It also said that the move exposed how the administration was being controlled by the RSS-BJP's "communal agenda."
"SP Sawant was transferred via a wireless message on Monday night. IPS officer Tikam Singh Verma, who held the charge as the SP of Anti Narcotics Cell, was appointed in her place. It was a routine transfer and no motive should be attributed to it," the official said.
The police sources, however, said Sawant was transferred after she sent a wireless message to all police stations, directing them to collect information about the members of the Bajrang Dal, a right-wing outfit.
When contacted, Director General of Police (DGP) Alok Kumar said the transfer of an SP-rank official is executed by the state government.
"I don't want to comment anything on it as transfers of Superintendent of Police rank officials are done by the government," he said. SP Sawant was not available for comments.
Bajrang Dal, a right-wing extremist organisation accused of several attacks against the minority communities has been active in Goa.
It had organised a massive public meeting last month at Sanvordem village in South Goa that was addressed by BJP MLA from Telangana T Raja Singh.
Goa Bajrang Dal convenor Viraj Desai said he did not have any information about the transfer of the SP or about the police seeking any details about his organisation's activists.
"Bajrang Dal is active in nation building. We have been holding several orientation programmes for the youngsters. We have no idea why the SP was transferred," he claimed.
The Congress said the hasty transfer of Sawant by the BJP government was yet another glaring example of how the BJP-RSS ideology was interfering with the administration to protect its divisive agenda.
In a media statement issued here, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Amit Patkar said, "The moment SP Sunita Sawant began collecting information about Bajrang Dal leaders in Goa, the government panicked and immediately transferred her. This clearly shows that BJP is not interested in governance but in shielding its ideological allies and suppressing officers who perform their duty with integrity."
The Goa police force was being manipulated to serve the BJP's political interests instead of upholding the law, he said.
"This is nothing but an act of intimidation against an honest officer who was merely doing her job. The BJP government has once again exposed itself as an enabler of lawlessness, ensuring that no action is taken against fringe elements that threaten Goa's communal harmony," he said.
The Congress leader sought to know what the BJP government was trying to hide.
"Why is it afraid of a fair investigation into Bajrang Dal leaders? This transfer is proof that the law enforcement agencies in Goa are being used as mere puppets of the BJP to safeguard its false narrative. The people of Goa will not tolerate this blatant misuse of power," he said.
The Congress strongly condemns this politically motivated transfer and demands immediate justification from Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, he added.
"We stand in solidarity with officers who work fearlessly in the interest of justice, and we will continue to expose BJP's attempts to hijack the administration for its communal agenda," he said.