For Remo the case filed against him by Aires Rodrigues could be his worst nightmare. Because he went to the Goa Medical College to offer the girl financial assistance and is now facing criminal action. Worse still, the police are attempting to coerce his son into giving evidence against him. Nothing can be more problematic for the Padma Shree Awardee. The singer and composer had an unfortunate brush with the law in the first week of December when the car in which he was travelling struck a minor girl near Guirim. The car was being driven by his son and it is yet to be established if it was being driven in a rash manner or if the girl suddenly came on to the path of the car. But like in all accidents a case is registered against the driver who will now have to prove his innocence in a court of law.
The accident has now been forgotten and all attention is riveted on the case registered under the children’s act. As the probe progressed it was discovered that the singer was no longer an Indian national and had acquired Portuguese nationality. Since he is of Indian origin he can acquire an Overseas Indian Citizen (OCI) card and enjoy all the benefits of an Indian citizen except the right to stand for elections or vote. The fall out of this decision is that the election commission might not be able to use Remo to urge young people to come out and vote, an exercise that proved successful in 2012. Remo loses practically little since he has little love for politicians because they don’t know to rock and roll and is not going to miss casting his vote in their favour. But for some odd reason he is now being hounded like an international criminal. The police are in the process of issuing summons through the Indian embassy in Portugal even though Remo has stated that he would be back in India by January 8 and would respond to the summons. Will the criminal-justice system collapse if he is given more time to respond?
It is nobody’s case that the singer should be let off. But it is the manner in which the police have proceeded that reeks of bias and lacks fair play. All that Remo is accused of by the girl’s family is of saying something nasty. That the police chose to register a case means that henceforth anyone who loses his cool with a minor is liable to face criminal charges. Family members will have to be more careful. Neighbours will have to think before they speak. Teachers will have to measure their words and every adult in general will have to first ask a person if he or she is a minor before engaging in a conversation. This is clearly a case of over-reaction by the police who were badgered by activism.
In the normal course when two person get into a verbal duel non-cognizable cases are registered and the police call both sides to resolve the issue. There is an element of discretion given to the police in such cases which is recognized by the courts. Why was this discretion not used? Remo’s only fault is that he is famous and his second error was that he tried to help the girl because he discovered she was poor and did not have a father. Empathy, in this case, was a grave mistake.
