Files missing from SP office: Cong suspects Asnotikar's hand

Karwar, September 12: Minister for Fisheries and Science and Technology Anand Asnotikar was behind the missing of important files from the office of the Superintendent of police here, according to Karwar Block Congress Committee.

Addressing presspersons here on Tuesday, Deepak Waingankar, Block Congress president, alleged that the police department should come forward to tell the people about the missing files. Manjula Gouda, a clerk in the SP's office, was suspended after it was found that she was responsible for missing of 49 files.

Mr. Waingankar alleged that complaints addressed to the SC/ ST Commission and Women Commission by the people had disappeared. He alleged that some people behind the land scams in Karwar were behind the entire incident.

He alleged that the complaint given against Asnotikar or his close aides were also missing. Mr. Waingankar demanded for a thorough enquiry into the case.

He denied that Margaret Alva, Governor of Rajasthan, was keen to see Mr. Asnotikar back in the Congress. He said that Mr. Asnotikar would not be inducted into Congress. He said Satish Sail was declared as the party's candidate from Karwar assembly constituency by the party high command and there was no other candidate proposed by Karwar unit of party.

Indirectly criticizing Gopalakrishna Nayak, the State general secretary of the Youth Congress, Mr. Waingankar said that Mr. Nayak had not visited the party office till now and the Party was not responsible if he declared himself a candidate before media.

The Block Congress Committee president criticized Mr. Asnotikar for confusing the local people about the Rs. 30 crore grant given to Karwar CMC and said that money was released from the Prime Minister's Developmental Fund and Mr. Asnotikar had no role in sanctioning the money. He criticized Mr. Asnotikar for publishing the photograph of Balachandra Jarakiholi, Urban Development Minister in the advertisement though this fund had nothing to do with Jarakiholi.

Shambhu Shetty, district general secretary of the Congress, said that though Mr. Sail was an accused in the Belekeri iron ore mining case, the Congress candidate's company, Mallikarjuna Shipping Company, was just a service.