ISSUE OF INSTALLING SHIVAJI STATUE
File photo of the installation of the statue of Maratha warrior Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj that triggered tension at Sao Jose de Areal on February 19, 2024.
MARGAO
The Chief Judicial Magistrate, Margao has issued summons to as many as 27 Sao Jose de Areal villagers to answer to a host of charges, including rioting, unlawful assembly etc during the tense situation that prevailed in the village on February 19, 2024 over the installation of the statue of Maratha warrior Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
The incident had occurred on February 19, 2024 afternoon when local villagers had staged a protest after Social Welfare Minister Subhash Phal Dessai visited Padribhat to pay tribute to the statue of Maratha warrior Shivaji Maharaj installed in a private property. The locals had staged the protest not against the statue of the Maratha warrior per se, but against the move of a group of individuals for installing the statue without the requisite Panchayat permission.
The Court summons comes in the wake of the charge sheet filed by the Maina Curtorim police against the 27 accused persons for offences punishable under section 143, 147, 353, 332, 341 read with section 149 of the IPC, including unlawful assembly, rioting, wrongful restraint, using force to deter a public servant from the discharge of duties and for causing hurt to a public servant in the discharge of his duties.
In the charge sheet, the Maina Curtorim police have charged the 27 accused persons and others for forming an unlawful assembly with their common object, used force to block the way of police and other officials.
The police further charged them for throwing mud and mud stones thereby causing injuries to Police officials on duty who were escorting Minister Subhash Phal Dessai to his vehicle who had come to worship the statue of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
Sao Jose de Areal villagers have protested against installation of the Shivaji statue in a private property on February 18, 2024 on the plea there was no panchayat permission for the statue installation. The villagers had suspected that the statue is being installed in the private property in a bid to get a motorable access to the property in question owned by S Makandar.
The next day, Social Welfare Minister Subhash Phal Dessai came to the property to pay respect to the Maratha warrior. Trouble, however, started when the minister was returning back to his vehicle when locals questioned him over the statue installation sans permission.
When the people tried to block the Minister from leaving the site, mud and mud stones were hurled towards Phal Dessai, prompting the police to order lathi charge to disperse the crowd.
