MARGAO
Anti-coal activists continue to do the rounds of the Courts in South Goa to fight what they called the fabricated and false cases foisted against them by the Goa Police and the Railways for participating in the historic Chandor midnight vigil.
While thousands of citizens from across Goa along with the activists had participated in the Chandor midnight vigil on November 1-2, 2020, the Railways and the Goa police have charged only a couple of activists in the two cases, while leaving the political class scot free.
In the first case filed against four anti-coal activists, the Railway police had filed a charge sheet for blocking rail traffic at the Chandor railway station on the intervening night of November 1-2, 2020.
In a similar case, the Goa had filed a charge sheet against 10 anti-coal activists before the Judicial Magistrate First Class, Margao on the allegation that the protestors had obstructed vehicular traffic at the Chandor railway crossing on the night of November 1-2, 2020. The protestors had filed a plea before the JMFC for discharge in the case on ground that no case is made out since the road in question at Chandor was already closed for traffic on the intervening night of November 1-2, 2020 by the South Goa district Magistrate to lay the double track. The plea of the protestors, however, found no favour with the Court as a result of which the accused activists now face a trial in the case.
Both Goyant Kollso Naka co-convenor Abhijit Prabhudesai and Goencho Ekvott convenor Creson Antao, accused in the Chandor midnight agitation, said truth will finally prevail and the government’s plan to harass people fighting to save Goa will never succeed.
In the third criminal case filed against the protestors, the Railway police has instituted a case against 10 protestors at the Vasco Judicial Magistrate First Class under Section 148, 147 and 174 (a) of the Railway Act, 1989.
