PANAJI
Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar on Friday denied that there was any lathicharge on the protesting fishermen outside the Fisheries Department on Thursday, and instead said that it was only a means to disburse the crowd.
“As per the information I have received, the lathicharge has not happened the way it is being projected. The Fisheries Director is a woman. I presume she was gheraoed. And to clear that congestion, lathis were used to scare the people. If needed, a judicial inquiry can be conducted,” Parsekar said.
He, however, remained silent on the arrests of several leaders who were taken into custody and were required to be bailed out, as well as the canoes that were seized during the government crackdown.
Later in the day, livid leaders of the fishing community in the State demanded the suspension of North Goa Superintendent of Police Kartik Kashyap for what they termed was an unwarranted lathicharge on their peaceful protest outside the Fisheries Department on Thursday.
A delegation of fishermen, including leaders of Goencho Raponkarancho Ekvott, as well as other fishermen and trawler owners cooperatives, called on the Chief Minister at the Secretariat. However, they emerged disappointed from the meeting after Parsekar only entertained them for about a minute before rushing to another meeting.
“All he promised was that he would look into the matter,” Menino Afonso of the Mandovi Fishermen’s Cooperative Society said.
Another group of Goenchea Raponkarancho Ekvott (GRE) led by Olencio Simoes, said that the Chief Minister disappointed them by failing to listen to any of their grievances.
“All he said was, I can’t talk to you. Please direct your queries to the Fisheries Minister,” Simoes said.
The delegation of leaders of the fisherfolk community had come to press for the suspension of North Goa Superintendent of Police Kartik Kashyap, Director of Fisheries Shamila Monteiro as well as a judicial inquiry into why the police ordered a lathicharge on the protestors.
“We want that Kashyap should be suspended. How did he order a lathicharge on the protesters when the magistrate didn’t give any order? This is totally illegal,” Afonso told reporters outside the secretariat block while demanding his suspension.
The protesters also vented their ire on Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar who earlier in the day denied that there was any lathicharge, but instead termed the incident as ‘dispersal of the crowd.’
“The CM himself should come and see what had happened. It was all on television. What does he mean by it was not a lathicharge?” the fishermen asked, with many of them showing the bruises they received during the lathicharge on Thursday.
They have also demanded that the government release the canoes that have been seized.
