Daijiworld Speical Correspondent - Goa (GA)

Panaji, Jun 23: Goa opposition today grilled the state home minister Ravi Naik over the preventive arrests in the state without valid reasons.

As per the data tabled on the floor of the house, 6987 people were arrested under section 151 of CRPC at different police stations in Goa from Junary one, 2005 till date.

"At times there are arrests under political pressur. Police should not misuse the section. There should not be preventive arrests without any valid reason,’’ leader of opposition Manohar Parrikar said during question hour on the floor of the house.

The records reveal that in the year 2005, 2941 people, in 2006 in all 2157 and in 2007 upto now, in all 1889 people were arrested under this section.

Home minister Ravi Naik, while replying on the floor of the house, denied the misuse of power by police and instead said that the arrests were executed to ensure law and order in the state.

The opposition benches, however, was reluctant to accept home minister’s contention, who pointed out that arrests were executed for as silly reasons like taking fish from a bag or making a phone call.

Intervening in the discussion, speaker Pratapsingh Rane, advised the home minister to ask the police to make judicious use of the power. "This is a democratic country.. Power should not be misused to harass common man,’’ he said.