Activists in Goa, who are protesting against various illegalities, illegal constructions, hill cutting, land-filling and the like are facing a new challenge “ that of flimsy cases against them.
While there are more than just a few cases that can be referred to where the activists have been threatened with arrest when they questioned the procedure (or lack thereof) adopted by the local MLAs and their supporters to push forward with their pet projects, the most striking is the complaint filed against one Roshan Mathias and Perpeto Fernandes, both of whom have been accused by a panch of Candolim of molesting her during an inspection.
While it would not be prudent for the police to summarily dismiss her complaints without an inquiry, it is increasingly clear that this case has been filed only to intimidate the activists and have them on the back foot while the proponents can continue with their dubious projects.
What is striking about the entire episode is how blatant the whole complaint of sexual molestation is. The alleged incident took place in the presence of other panch members as well as her own family and no one seems to have said anything or done anything at that moment. The two activists even later went to the police station to report the happenings of the inspection.
Given the circumstances, it is clear that the complainant herself believe that the incident she alleges happened didn’t happen, but has nonetheless filed the complaint to occupy the activists with defending themselves and repeated visits to the police station until they tire out.
Nothing can be more serious than this. That the panch of Candolim can knowingly file a false complaint of a serious nature with the belief that she will not only get away with it but that it will alleviate her situation with regard to her alleged illegal construction, reflects poorly on the state of the ruling political class in the state.
Such knowingly false complaints should be dealt with an iron hand not only because they belittle those other women who are genuinely molested and have no one to believe them, but also becomes a case which every accused will point to claiming that women file flimsy and entirely false cases against them to win a political or civil battle.
In a place like Goa where families fighting over land is the most common kind of dispute, a case like this can set a poor precedent for other warring parties to follow. It is imperative that if the case is found to be intentionally false, then punitive action as mandated by law is also initiated.
