Sword brandished at Goa birthday celebration; probe on

Panaji, Aug 8 (IANS) Goa police on Saturday launched a probe in a bizarre birthday celebration by unidentified persons outside the state’s biggest dairy plant in South Goa on August 4, in which a person was photographed brandishing a sword.

The South Goa district police have launched a preliminary investigation, after A.V. Padte, managing director of the Goa State Co-operative Milk Producers Union filed a formal complaint with the Ponda police station, based on photos of the birthday celebration that went viral on social media on Saturday.

The photos show several persons attending the birthday celebration on the road outside the dairy union premises’ gate, with one unidentified person brandishing a sword. Another photo shows the sword being trained at the neck of another person who attended the celebration.

“…on August 4, at around 9.30 p.m. some unknown 10 persons had assembled outside the dairy plant gate of the Union, under the pretext of celebrating a birthday, but acted in a miscreant manner which could be examined from the said photographs,” the complaint filed by Padte with the Ponda police station stated.

“At that time (of the incident) security personnel deployed at the gate of Union could not initiate any action in the matter, as the said incident took place on the public road outside the premises of the Union,” the complaint further stated.

“But considering the manner of their action and weapons in their hand we apprehended the safety of the milk producers, staff of the Union, contractors and other public who used to visit the Dairy Union for buying milk and milk products,” it added.

A Goa Police spokesperson said that the complaint filed by the Dairy Union was being examined and a preliminary probe had been initiated. “We have launched a preliminary probe to see if the incident violates the Arms act, among other provisions of the law” the spokesperson said.

–IANS

maya/rt