Two days after an assistant engineer allegedly committed suicide, Goa Minister Dayanand Mandrekar today said an elected representative should not be held responsible if an official takes the extreme step just because he is scolded by the MLA.
The state water resources minister's remarks came after assistant engineer Kiran Godbole, attached to his department, allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself at his Margao residence on Sunday.
According to Margao police inspector Sudesh Naik, during preliminary investigations it was found that Congress legislator Babu Kavlekar had telephoned Godbole on Sunday evening, sometime before he took the extreme step and there were apprehensions that he had scolded the official.
Naik said Kavlekar was among the last few people who had called Godbole.
"There will be no inquiry by the department. It is for the police (to probe). If there is no water in our village then I also call up engineers and scream at them. That does not mean they should commit suicide," Mandrekar told reporters here.
"We are not saying that he should commit suicide. We want that he should supply water to the people. The elected representatives are forced to call up officers because when works are pending, people approach us," he added.
When asked if he blamed the deceased engineer for laxity, the state minister said, "What's the use of blaming him now, he is no more."
He said it was for the police or CBI to conduct an inquiry into the death of the Engineer.
Mandrekar said another engineer was recently roughed up by a crowd in his presence at Chapora village. "I pleaded with the people that at least don't beat him in front of me," he said.
