Goa Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte on Monday said the link between the death of politician Sonali Phogat and the tourism industry in Goa was unfortunate. He said people should also take responsibility and things should be seen in the right perspective.
“We must put the news in the right perspective. We are all shocked by the death of Sonali Phogat, but we must not link tourism to all aspects. People are welcome to come here and enjoy this beautiful place, but they also need to take responsibility. As the government, we will provide all the facilities. Tourism is the backbone of Goa’s economy. So the government and the media should act responsibly in this matter,” Khaunte told ANI. When asked if the matter would be transferred to the CBI, he replied that only the Chief Minister would be the right person to speak to.
“I am not the right person to comment on this, the chief minister has already spoken about it and he will be the one to make the decision,” the Goa minister said. Earlier on Monday, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that if the need arose, the CBI would be involved in the matter.
“We have arrested all the defendants. We are in talks with Haryana CM and have sent all reports to DGP Haryana. If we later feel the need to involve CBI, we will request it,” CM Pramod Sawant told ANI. Sonali Phogat, 42, was pronounced dead at St Anthony’s Hospital in Anjuna, North Goa on August 23. An autopsy report revealed blunt force injuries on his body, following which the Goa Police filed a murder case.
Earlier, Goa Police said Sonali Phogat was forcibly drugged by her two associates who are now arrested after being named as defendants in the case. The two accused – Sudhir Sangwan and Sukhwinder Singh – have been arrested and further investigations are ongoing, Goa Police said.
Goa Police have arrested two more people – Edwin Nunes and suspected drug trafficker Dattprashad Gaonkar – in connection with the murder case of BJP leader Sonali Phogat, Deputy Superintendent of Police Jivba Dalvi said on Saturday. Police said investigation revealed the drugs were supplied by a person named Dattaprasad Gaonkar who worked as a chambermaid at the Grand Leoney Resort hotel in Anjuna where the defendants and the deceased were staying. (ANI)
(This story has not been edited by the Devdiscourse team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
