'The people then called the minister who arrived on the scene, beat us up and made us kneel down for ten minutes, while his relative's vehicles were allowed to enter through the gates,' the guards said in the complaint.

Officials said the guards could not file a formal police complaint on their own volition and would have to seek the consent of the head of the water resources department.

Speaking to reporters, Superintendent of Police (CID) and police public relations officer Atmaram Deshpande maintained that the Selaulim reservoir was a vital installation because it provided water to the southern half of Goa.

'In fact, we had asked the local police to beef up the security near the Selaulim water body in view of August 15 preparations,' Deshpande said, adding that no formal complaint has been filed before the police against the minister yet.

PWD minister Churchill Alemao could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.