the goan I network
VASCO
Sancoale witnessed tense moments on Friday morning after clashes broke out among dozens of people from two groups regarding the plucking of coconuts in a property. Verna police later arrested 23 persons in this connection.
According to reports, the fights occurred after three members of Niz Goenkar Revolutionary Front (NGRF) were allegedly involved in a heated argument with members of the Fabrica and a coconut plucker hired by Sancoale Church Committee to pluck coconuts in a property near the Old Church site at Sancoale.
Sources said the situation took a violent turn when the coconut plucker who had loaded the coconuts in a rickshaw to deliver them to the Church committee was allegedly assaulted by NGRF members and other persons, while his rickshaw was also damaged.
A short while later, a mob of about 100 villagers, including some parishioners of Sancoale church arrived at the site and were accused of entering into a scuffle with the NGRF members.
A police team went to the site but could not control the mob anger and later, police teams from Verna and Vasco rushed to the site to manage the situation.
Verna Police later called both parties to the police station and registered cross complaints, before arresting 23 persons in the connection.
The rickshaw driver, Anthony Souza, said he had called the parishioners after he was assaulted by Dr Vaigankar.
“When we were plucking coconuts, Dr Kalidas Vaigankar stopped us. There were two members of the Fabrica also with us. They were pushed down and they blocked the rickshaw from behind by putting their vehicles. They told us to leave from the area and broke the glass, after which we called the parishioners,” said Souza.
NGRF Spokesperson Chandrashekar Vasta has accused Sancoale Parish Priest Fr Luis Alvares and a mob of assaulting him and even threatening to kill him.
Speaking to reporters at the Verna Police station,
Vasta said “Suresh Naik and I were to go to the education department in Porvorim and we came to meet Dr Kalidas Vaigankar. When news went around that we had arrived, people in large numbers gathered outside the house of Dr Vaigankar, because I am a PIL petitioner to question the shifting of feast of St Joseph Vaz and am the spokesperson of NGRF.”
“Fr Alvares came along with a huge crowd of about 100 persons and trespassed into the house of Dr Vaigankar and in front of police, took law in their hands and assaulted us. Fr Luis and others threatened us and they later assaulted family members of Vaigankar,” said Vasta.
Counter-complaints registered, 23 arrested: DySP
VASCO: Mormugao DySP Sunita Sawant has said that counter complaints were registered at Verna police and 23 people were placed under arrest in the case.
“We received a call at around 8.30 am that there could be mob fight as people had gathered near the old church at Sancoale and that, one rickshaw was already damaged,” DySP Sawant told reporters.
“We called both parties to the Verna police station where they registered a complaints against each other.”
“On behalf of the Church, the Fabrica Treasurer Elisbao Vaz filed a complaint stating that Dr Kalidas Vaigankar, his aunt Milan Naik, his mother Tara Naik along with Chandrashekar Vasta and Suraj Naik, both from Vasco, refused to allow them to pluck coconuts and further blocked and damaged the rickshaw carrying the coconuts
and assaulted the rickshaw driver,” said DySP Sawant.
“In a counter complaint, Dr Vaigankar complained that Elisbao Vaz, Santan Vaz, Anthony Dsouza, Francis Fernandes, Succourin Vales, Jenny Vaz along with 20 people assaulted them by entering in the property in their possession, where they would pluck coconuts.”
“Dr Vaigankar complained that when he stopped the plucking of coconuts, the people came and assaulted them. We have registered the counter complaints under Sections 143, 147, 447, 323, 324, 427, 504, 506 (II) read with 149 IPC.” “Those people injured in the scuffle have been sent for medical examination.”
“Acting on the complaint of Elisbao Vaz, we have arrested three persons, Chandrashekar Vasta, Dr Kalidas Vaigankar and Suresh Naik. Acting on the complaint of Dr Kalidas Vaigankar, we have arrested 5 men and 15 women,” said DySP Sawant.
The accused were later released on bail.
