PANAJI: The former tourism minister, Mr Francisco Xavier Pacheco on Wednesday charged the government of targeting and harassing the minority community legislators and putting them behind bars for one reason or the other, even as he said that he has not committed any mistake.

Making a statement in the House, Mr Pacheco, who was released from judicial custody a couple of days ago after being held in police custody for 14 days and 3 days in judicial custody for his alleged involvement in the death of Nadia Torrado, also challenged the Chief Minister, Mr Digambar Kamat, to show any document against him and said that if any document was placed he would resign from the House if not the government should act against police.

Placing sequence of events that took place since May 29, the day Nadia died, he said that she being a family friend he tried everything to save her.

He said that non-government organisation started issuing statements about my involvement in the case and on June 3 he got summons from the criminal investigation department to be present for recording his statement and that while he was in the CID headquarters from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. the police searched his house despite he being a minister but found nothing.

Mr Pacheco also said that after being questioned, he was told to be present for further questioning on the next day along with his passport and it was then that he spoke to his party leaders who pressurised him to resign as minister or face expulsion from the party.

He also said that it was the Chief Minister who spoke to his leaders about there being "clinching evidence" against him. Mr Kamat, however, flatly refuted the charges stating that he neither called Mr Sharad Pawar or Mr Praful Patel during those days.

Stating that while many criminals involved in more heinous crimes were moving freely, he went on to add that the authorities had issued a red corner notice all over the world against him, adding that he then approached courts for anticipatory bail.

The former tourism minister also said that he had written to the Chief Minister about the drug cases and excise scam and demanded that the cases be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

He further said that though he had not committed any economic offence all his bank accounts were frozen and that he and his family were put to hardship.

Mr Pacheco also said that his accounts still remain frozen and called for thorough investigation of all the cases.

He also demanded that the son of a minister involved in drug cases be arrested and the cases against him thoroughly investigated.