MARGAO
Addressing a press conference, the immediate past president of the Asssociation, Lester Rodricks, said a musician, one Ashwin Alvares, was assaulted on Tuesday, 12 September at night when he expressed his inability to perform after midnight at Colva.
Rodricks informed that four persons allegedly assaulted Alvares, who, he said, had his nose broken as a result of this assault. He said the victim called the police and the ambulance. "The ambulance reached before the police. The victim was taken to the hospital where the police failed to record the victim's statement immediately. The statement was only taken at 12 noon the next day (Wednesday). The constable informed us at 4 p.m. that an FIR has been registered," he added.
Speaking at the press conference, Adv Ohm Stanley Rodrigues, said the delay in lodging the FIR can be fatal to the prosecution's case. "The FIR should have been lodged immediately on the night of the assault," he stated. "There have been no arrests, no statements recorded of eyewitnesses or of the restaurant owner and no retrieval of CCTV camera footage," Adv Rodrigues remarked.
Adv Rodrigues claimed that the victim has identified two of his alleged assaulters while, he said, the victim was allegedly attacked by four to five people. "The victim does not know the identity of other alleged assaulters," Adv Rodrigues added. He demanded immediate action, arrest of the offenders and urged that "the ball be set rolling" for law to take its own course.
Armando Gonsalves said tourim in the State is "plummeting", even as he attributed this to the law and order problems. He urged Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar to act in this matter.
