Panaji, Aug 23: The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) on Sunday demanded an immediate, independent and time-bound investigation into allegations of an informal food business and cash transactions operating inside the Colvale Central Jail.

GPCC Media and Communication Chairman Amarnath Panjikar said the allegations, if established, raise serious questions over prison security, supervision and accountability under the Home Department headed by Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant.

Referring to reported allegations of tandoori meals being sold for ₹7,000, fried rice for ₹1,000, fish and coriander for ₹500, diversion of government-supplied food items and alleged payments for bringing unauthorised articles, including television sets, into the prison, Panjikar said the issue could not be dismissed as a routine administrative lapse.

“These are extremely serious allegations involving a government prison. If even a fraction of these allegations is true, it raises fundamental questions about prison security, supervision and accountability under the Home Department,” Panjikar said.

He demanded that Sawant order an impartial inquiry and ensure the preservation and examination of CCTV footage, prison gate-entry records, visitor registers, mess and kitchen records, ration-stock registers and procurement documents.

The Congress leader also sought a complete audit of government-supplied food provisions. The investigation, he said, should establish who allegedly prepared and sold the food, who collected the money, whether government supplies were diverted and whether prison officials or outsiders facilitated the entry of unauthorised items.

Panjikar said the Home Minister must respond to allegations of what he described as a “parallel cash economy” operating within an institution under the Home Department.

“If the allegations are false, establish the truth. If they are true, fix responsibility and take action irrespective of rank or position,” he said.

Panjikar further cautioned the government against targeting those who brought the allegations to light.

“The government must investigate the allegations, not investigate the messenger. Goans deserve transparency, accountability and a prison administration governed by law—not an alleged marketplace behind prison walls,” he added.