The police cases registered in connection with the hotel under various sections of the Indian Penal Code did not make to the newspapers till Inspector Palsu Sail took over charge of the Verma police station under whose jurisdiction the hotel fell. On Friday last Inspector Sail walked into his office looking tense and before hiscolleagues could realize what was happening, shot himself dead. He left behind no suicide note. Sail's colleagues say the inspector was called by his superiors in Panaji to discuss the case after which he returned to his office to commit suicide. But his boss, deputy superintendent of police (South Goa) Qamar Ahmad insists that Sail did not visit him at all. ``He was supposed to come here for discussion but he committed suicide before that,'' Ahmad told The Indian Express. Ahmad insisted that it is routine for investigating officers to be called for discussions by higher ups after a progress report is filed on cases handled by them.

Rattled by the incident, the first of its kind in the state, Inspector General of Police R S Sahaye ordered an enquiry into Sail's suicide. Incidentally Sail was due for promotion as deputy superintendent of police with effect from July 1, 1999. Subsequent testimonies by Sail's colleagues indicate that other officers who handled the case prior to him were subjected tointense pressure since the hotel was eyed by top police officials and politicians.

Documents made available to The Indian Express indicate that a former IPS offier earlier posted in the state was keen on buying the hotel himself. When his attempts did not succeed the official began harassing the hotel owners, a senior police official said. Sources say investigating officers were pressured to adopt a biased approach to suit the requirements of the police official. However, the subsequent transfer of the official from Goa did not help matters as cross complaints had already been filed by both parties. Sail was consequently under pressure from different superiors to follow contrary courses of action. To make matters worse, the deceased officer suffered from diabetes and hypertension. He could not balance the conflicting demands made by his bosses and took the extreme step, say his colleagues.

Interestingly, the police records state that a legislator in the Goa state Assembly had brokered the sale ofthe hotel to the new owners though he is not accused of playing any role in subsequent dealings. However, the presence of politicians in such deals are stressful enough, say police. Senior police officials who confirmed that Sail was upset about the progress of the case however refused to go on record. Incidentally, the employees and the management of the hotel patched up some months ago. The employees accepted a golden handshake package from the hotel owners and left for greener pastures. However, the complaints filed by both parties continue to be alive on police records.