Goa minister Milind Naik resigns in the wake of sex scandal

Goa's Urban Development Minister Milind Naik on Wednesday tendered his resignation, hours after state Congress President Girish Chodankar accused him of sexual exploitation of a woman from Bihar.

In a statement issued late on Wednesday, the Chief Minister's Office said: "Milind Naik has tendered his resignation as Minister in the government of Goa, to ensure a free and fair probe, which has been accepted and sent to the Hon'ble Governor."

Naik submitted his resignation hours after Chief Minister Pramod Sawant returned from a three-day visit to Uttar Pradesh to attend a good governance meet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Earlier on Wednesday, Chodankar while addressing a press conference in Panaji had accused Naik of being involved in an alleged scandal involving a woman from Bihar, dating back to around 2019.

"The minister involved in the sex scandal, Milind Naik, should be sacked and action should be initiated agianst him. And ministers like Milind Naik, who sexually assault women, should be not be protected," Chodankar said.

Chodankar had also appealed to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to back the victim and give her confidence to file a complaint against the minister in the BJP-led coalition government in Goa.

"I urge Bihar CM Nitish Kumar to safeguard the interests of a daughter of Bihar, against whom a minister in Goa is committing atrocities. You are speaking about empowering women in Bihar. Will you stand with your daughter or with the minister in Goa? The people of Bihar and India are watching you," Chodankar said.

"I appeal to the CM of Bihar. Give the required confidence to the woman who is claiming to be from Bihar as per the legal notice I have received and the police complaint that is filed," he added.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Youth Congress also filed a complaint against Naik and claimed to have submitted audio, video and WhatsApp-based evidence in the alleged sexual exploitation case to the women's police station in Panaji.