<![CDATA[Panaji: Five Naval men have been arrested for allegedly assaulting a 25-year-old man in Vasco town near Panaji, police said today, though the Navy has denied the involvement of its personnel in the incident. Adding a new twist, Navy said the man had tried to outrage the modesty of daughter of another Naval personnel, and had hurt himself while fleeing on his bike during a chase. Rajesh Pachar, Shamlal Singh Takshak, Jitendra Singh, Amit Kumar Jaiswal and Anupam Sharma, posted at the Navy's INS Hansa base, were arrested on Wednesday for allegedly assaulting Atul Bicholkar in Vasco town. Navy dismissed that its men working at INS Hansa base had attacked the man, saying he was injured in a bike mishap. "The facts of the incident have been wrongly indicated and do not bring out the misdeeds of a local man involved in outraging modesty of a teenage girl, who is the daughter of a Naval personnel," the statement said. As per the complaint filed by Mr Bicholkar's mother, the five men were travelling in an official vehicle, which they dashed against the two-wheeler of her son on Wednesday. When Mr Bicholkar fell down, they assaulted him with a metal pipe and caused grievous injuries, according to the complaint. However, the Navy said, "On 18 October, the girl was returning home from school. She was accosted by the accused near SMRC hospital, exhibiting obscene gestures. The man stripped his trousers and followed the girl as she ran home." The girl's mother filed an FIR at Vasco police station against the then unidentified man. "The following morning, five personnel of Naval Police, including the father, visited the scene of incident accompanied by the girl. The girl identified the accused, who was waiting at the same spot on his yellow and white motorcycle," the statement stated. "Upon seeing the naval personnel along with the girl, the accused tried to flee on his bike. As the naval personnel pursued to apprehend him, the accused hit the road divider at high speed and fell on road, sustaining injuries," the Navy statement said.]]>
