Ravi Naik lied in the assembly that a SIT would investigate the Cipriano murder case
Finally, Cipriano Fernandes, who by all accounts was killedin the custody of the Panjim police on January 7, 2011 was laid to rest in hisvillage of Moira. This has been a grim, ghastly story of an innocent man whowas brutally tortured as a result of which he died. This writer has been following this story,from his earlier newspaper, which seems to have unfortunately let the storygo. Perhaps Cipriano was too small a fryto fight for by a paper which calls itself “the people’s paper” But asjournalists, we do our duty to our profession first. At The Goan, we pledge tocontinue pursuing all cases of injustices, especially those committed by men inuniform.
As Cipriano, whose body was lying in the GMC morgue for ayear and nine months was buried on November 7 (Wednesday last).He was arrestedon a flimsy complaint of misbehaving with his lady friend, arrested, labelledas a chronic alcoholic and tortured to death. We, at The Goan, have pulled outthe First Information Report that charged the policemen, on duty at the Panjimpolice station from January 7 to January 8, with murder and the conclusion ofthe Sub Divisional Magistrate Shambaji Shetye’s report confirming that it wasan homicidal death.
We also have a shocking statement by Om Prakash Kurtarkar,who the former Home Minister had said would be heading a Special InvestigationTeam to investigate the incident. Kurtarkar now says “I do not know anything asI did not investigate the case”. So who knows? And Goa needs to know rightknow, why did Ravi Naik lie to the assembly that a SIT headed by Kurtarkarwould investigate the Cipriano murder, when it wasn’t even constituted?Remember Ravi Naik stopped any action against the police, recommended in themagisterial inquiry report, till the SIT submitted its report.
Obviously no one is interested since this case doesn’taffect anyone. At The Goan, it is not so. We are not on the business of backslapping and giving ourselves lofty labels. We spend time in doing what we haveto do so that those in power and office know that the people who vote stillhave power.
