MARGAO
Desecration accused Francis Pereira on Wednesday alleged that Canacona PI Rajendra Prabhudesai had pointed a gun to coerce him to take all the desecration cases on him, even as he reiterated his charge that Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai and Curchorem MLA Nilesh Cabral tricked him to accept the crime on a promise that
he would be released within 2-3 months.
“Manohar Parrikar is not fit to occupy the post of Chief Minister. He along with TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai and Nilesh Cabral were responsible to implicate me in the desecration cases,” he told the media outside the South Goa Sessions Court on Wednesday.
Saying that he is innocent, Pereira said he had returned from the airport and was proceeding home after dropping the Luis family when the police led by PI Ravi Desai stopped me and told me to go to Curchorem police station. “When I questioned them, PI Ravi said I am involved in the desecration cases though I pleaded with them to ask the Luis family whether I have brought them from the airport, but they were not ready to listen,” he said.
He blamed the SP, South Arvind Gawas for forcing him to climb the Curchorem cemetery wall, adding that the police tutored him to say that he had desecrated the crosses to release the “spirits”.
Saying that the hammer attached by the police does not belong to him, Pereira said that he had kept the steel utensil, a stone and danda in his vehicle for self-defence.
Saying that Parrikar, Vijai and Cabral had also promised to provide assistance for his nephew presently studying at Bangalore, Pereira said the trio along with the police had assured to release him from jail within 2-3 months. “But, I was backstabbed by the politicians. They made me to believe that there’s order from the Centre calling upon the State government to arrest the culprit in the desecration cases,” he said.
He said he has got his FD amounting to Rs 22 lakh returned back from the court, but wondered why the police had seized the FDs belonging to his brother and nephew. Saying that he is presently unemployed with his van attached by the police, Pereira has disclosed plans to move the court for the release of his vehicle so that he can start his business all over again.
He, however, is aggrieved that the police summoned him to the police station two days ago and was informed that he is declared as a history-sheeter. “I am not a criminal. What have I done to be declared as a history-sheeter. I had contested the election and had fired from my gun for my self defence,” he said.
In the meantime, Francis has moved the South Goa Sessions Court with a review application challenging the order of the JMFC Narayan Amonkar framing charges against him in the Chandor-Kushawati Cross case. The matter will come up for arguments before the court on March 3.
