Former Goa MLA Lavoo Suryaji Mamledar, who represented the Ponda constituency from 2012 to 2017, passed away allegedly after a physical altercation with an autorickshaw driver in Belagavi, Karnataka, on Saturday, February 15.
According to police, the 69-year-old was travelling to Belagavi and had booked a room at a hotel in Khade Bazar. Reports state that his car allegedly brushed against an autorickshaw while navigating a narrow curve, sparking an argument between Lavoo and the auto driver. According to the police, Lavoo refused to pay the compensation demanded by the autorickshaw driver.
The situation escalated when the autorickshaw driver reportedly followed Lavoo to the hotel and physically assaulted him upon his exit from the vehicle. Lavoo allegedly collapsed on the hotel premises and was taken to the government civil hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Belagavi City Deputy Commissioner of Police Rohan Jagadeesh told the media that the autorickshaw driver has been taken into custody, and an investigation into the incident is underway.
The police are probing the exact cause of Lavoo's death.
Lavoo Mamledar, a retired police officer, had served as an MLA from South Goa’s Ponda constituency on a Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) ticket during the 2012 Assembly elections. He contested again in 2017 but lost. Lavoo Mamledar later joined the Trinamool Congress and subsequently quit, citing communal concerns within the party, before aligning with the Congress ahead of the 2022 Assembly polls. In that election, he contested from the Marcaim constituency but did not win.
Amit Patkar, president of the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee, expressed condolences, highlighting Mamledar's contributions and character. Similarly, Carlos Ferreira, Congress MLA from Aldona, remembered Mamledar as a dedicated former police officer and a compassionate individual.