Sao Jose de Areal villagers who came to hand over a memorandum addressed to the village Sarpanch to demand an inquiry into the February 18-19 incident over the Shivaji statue issue.
MARGAO
Sao Jose de Areal villagers on Sunday demanded an investigation into the February 18-19 incident in the village over the installation of the Shivaji statue and to find out the cause behind the police lathi charge and the FIR registered against the locals.
A memorandum addressed to the Areal Sarpanch by Elvian Gomes and others has called for a report on the lathi charge incident at Benabhat area of the village within 15 days.
The villagers wondered how come the police registered the FIR against the locals for unlawful Assembly when people from outside the village, including Social Welfare Minister Subhash Faldesai, had gathered in the area on the day of the incident.
In fact, they contended that the unlawful assembly was formed by the Minister along with unknown 300 persons from outside the village. They alleged that government machinery was used in the village on February 18-19 to facilitate illegal activities, thereby creation tension, disturbed peace amongst the villagers by the authorities present at the site.
The memorandum stated that the Dy Collector & SDM -II Salcete Suyash Khandeparkar could have easily handled the situation peacefully by not allowing both the groups (villagers and around 300 persons) present at the site.
It further stated that the tense situation would not have arisen leading to the lathi charge on the Areal villagers if the Minister had not to remain present at the site.
In the memorandum, the villagers pointed out that tension started in the village on February 18 morning when JCBs and trucks load of mud was allegedly used for filling low lying agricultural/ paddy field land illegally without obtaining approval of concerned government authorities. “Using these machineries, a group of unknown people probably outsiders preparing illegal road by land filling in S/no : 229/2 & 229/5. As the illegal activities were going on, ward member Carmina Fernandes called up Maina-Curtorim police station for protection of the villagers and to stop the work. The villagers also called up Velim MLA Cruz Silva to support villagers to set an inquiry on the said ongoing works”, the memorandum stated.
The memorandum added: “One unknown person named Mehboob came at the site as the owner of the property (sno. 229/5) and the said work was being carried by him and he is constructing a road to his said property through Sno: 229/2, at Benabhat ward from the main road with proper approval from TCP & Village panchayat, which he could not produce at site”.
To their surprise, they pointed out that a mob of around 250 males, not from the village came with a huge statue at the site and Maina Curtorim PI Arun Dessai, Margao Dy SP Santosh Dessai, and Dy Collector & SDM -II Salcete Suyash Khandeparkar along with around 200 police personnel force to facilitate the statue through survey no 229/2 and installed it right in the middle of the hill in survey no 229/5.
