Smriti Irani controversy: Goa CM says FabIndia cannot be blamed, faults staffers

Panaji Under fire over the voyeurism charge Fabindia today got the backing of Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar who said the company cannot be blamed for the mischief played by some employees at its store where Union Minister Smriti Irani spotted a camera facing the trial roomFabindia is supposed to be a reputed company I personally feel that it must not be the companys fault but mischief played by its staff members Some womanisers must have done that Parsekar told reporters hereIn a related development Fabindias Candolim store manager Chaitrali Sawant was today granted anticipatory bail by a district court in Mapusa town near here in connection with the caseParsekar said Smritiji was VIP and because of that cognisance has been promptly taken We will see that such things dont occur again It is a lesson for everybody He said Goa is safe for all women tourists and this is an isolated incidentAsked if changing rooms of all garment shops would be inspected across Goa Parsekar said it is up to the police to decide on thatI have not issued any directions to check the changing rooms If police do that then there might be allegations of extortion he addedThe voyeurism case was filed against the outlets staff after Irani who visited the Fabindia store at Candolim on Friday alleged that it had a CCTV camera focusing at the trial roomSawant who had been untraceable after the incident had moved the court for anticipatory bail through her lawyer on Saturday The court while granting the bail asked Sawant to be present before the investigating officers for two days today and tomorrow as part of the probe in the caseJudge Desmond DCosta in his order said that all the sections applied in the case are bailable expect section 354 assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty of IPC He observed that IPC section 354 does not apply to Sawantas she was not present in the store when the incident happenedSawants lawyer Raju Poulekar said her custodial interrogation was not required as she was not present at the spot when the incident happenedHowever public prosecutor Anuradha Talaulikar argued that it is a very serious offence against women and custodial interrogation is necessitated Meanwhile BJP MLA from Goa Michael Lobo who had filed the complaint regarding voyeurism at the Fabindia storein Candolim today said that the company should issue a public apology over the incidentThe Fabindia bosses should own the responsibility of the incident and issue public apology as the incident has happened in their outlet he saidI fully agree that bosses cannot keep a check on each of the CCTV cameras but it is evident that some of the employees have played the mischief Fabindia cannot disown the responsibility of the entire incident he saidFabindia has denied that it had placed hidden cameras in any of its stores According to a statement issued by Fabindia earlierthe camera in question at Candolim store was part of the surveillance system and was installed in the shopping area It had however apologised to the HRD Minister for the inconvenience that has been inadvertently causedFour employees of the outlet Paresh Bhagat Raju Payanche Prashant Naik and Karim Lakhani were arrested and booked under IPC sections 354C voyeurism 509 intrusion into privacy and IT Acts section 66E capturing publishing image of private area of any person without hisher consentHowever they were later granted bail by a local court which said that police had made out no grounds for custodial interrogation