An Indian Police Service (IPS) officer posted in Goa was suspended on Wednesday for allegedly misbehaving with a woman tourist at a beach club in Goa, reported The Indian Express.
Police said that the accused A Koan, 2009-batch IPS officer of the AGMUT cadre, was allegedly in an inebriated state at the time of the incident.
An order, issued in the name of President Droupadi Murmu, by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) Under-Secretary Rakesh Kumar Singh on Wednesday stated that “the President of India, in exercise of powers conferred under Rule 3 of All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969, hereby places Dr Koan under suspension with immediate effect”.
The MHA is the cadre controlling authority for IPS officers. The order was issued after the ministry received a preliminary investigation report from the Goa government.
It said the officer will be attached at the state police headquarters and “shall not leave the headquarters without obtaining the prior permission of the competent authority”, till the suspension order was in force.
The deputy inspector general (DIG) rank officer was earlier relieved of his charge by the Goa government and asked to report to the state Director General of Police (DGP).
According to an officer, the owner of the club is a close friend of a leading politician in Goa. He shared the CCTV footage with the politician after the incident, who in turn purportedly informed Goa DGP Jaspal Singh and sought a police inquiry over the matter.
Following the inquiry, in their report to the MHA, Goa Police mentioned that the Koan was on medical leave for a neck ailment.
He had allegedly gone to a club at the Baga beach area on August 7. The incident took place at around 4 AM, an officer who knew the developments told IE.
Although there were no complaints in connection with the incident, there were allegations that he accosted the woman and passed objectionable remarks, following which the woman slapped him.
Last week, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had assured strict action against the officer in the state assembly. Goa Forward Party (GFP) MLA Vijai Sardesai had also raised the matter in the state assembly.