Canacona police have booked five persons, including Congress leader Janardhan Bhandari, and other unnamed persons on charges of unlawful assembly and blocking the NH66, thereby restraining the smooth flow of highway traffic on Tuesday afternoon.
Taking cognisance of the law and order problem created during agitation by aggrieved residents of Talpona who blocked both lanes of the Canacona Bypass Road at Galgibaga, Canacona police named five persons, Janardhan Bhandari, Gaspar, Shubham Komarpant, G Pagi and Mohandas Lolienkar in the complaint.
According to police, the accused persons and other unnamed persons formed an unlawful assembly and blocked both lanes of NH66 and traffic movement by placing branches and a metal pole across the road, wrongfully restraining the smooth flow of traffic at about 2.30 pm on Wednesday.
The activists have been booked under Sections 189(2), 126(2) read with 190 of BNS 2023 and Sec 8(b) of National Highway Act, and further investigation is with PSI Ajit Velip of Canacona Police Station.
Several residents, including Pagi community leaders and activists, had blocked the NH66 at Talpona in protest, after accusing the authorities of failing to do enough to search and rescue the four fishermen, after their trawler had been reported missing in the deep sea.
The protesters cleared the road blockade and later dispersed from the site after being told that all four fishermen had been traced and were returning to the Talpona Jetty.
