MARGAO
The sensational 2012 Velim church attack case has finally ended in an acquittal on Thursday as curtains have finally come down on the long-drawn trial spanning over 13-and-half years.
The Court of Judicial Magistrate First Class, Sunita Gaunekar on Thursday pronounced the judgement in the open court, acquitting all the accused from the charges, ranging from unlawful assembly, rioting, causing hurt to a government officer on duty et al.
During the pendency of the trial, as many as three persons named as accused in the case expired during the trial, including then Parish Priest of St Xavier’s Church, Velim Fr Romano Gonsalves and Max Colaco.
The Cuncolim police had filed the chargesheet in July, 2015 against 22 persons, including the then Parish Priest of St Xavier’s Church, Velim Fr Romano Gonsalves and Episcopal Vicar, South Goa Fr Lucio in a case that had left three CID Personnel, including PI Kapil Nayak, constables Kuldip Desai and Krishnanand Rane injured in an incident that had occurred on February 25, 2012 at the Velim Church premises.
The incident had taken place in the run up to the 2012 Assembly elections when the Church was raided on February 6, 2012 reportedly by sleuths of the Income Tax Department and the Election flying squad. The action by the IT and the Flying squad had left the Velim villagers agitated as they suspected foul play behind the raid on the Velim Church.
As the villagers were demanding action in the matter, even threatening to boycott the Assembly polls, three CID personnel led by then CID in-charge, PSI Kapil Nayak were drafted by the then Superintendent of Police, South Arvind Gawas to find out whether the villagers will stick to their plan to boycott the polls.
Incidentally, when PSI Kapil along with the two constables descended at the Velim Church after sunset, their presence was looked with suspicion, coming as it does on the heels of the raid by the IT sleuths earlier that month on February 6. As news spread in the village and beyond over the return of IT sleuths in the Church, hundreds of villagers rushed to the Church. In the tense situation, the three CID personnel had to face the brunt of the angry mob before they were rescued by the Goa police and CRPF personnel.
The Cuncolim police later registered FIR against 22 persons including Fr Romano Gonsalves (then Velim Parish Priest), Fr Lucio Dias (Episcopal Vicar, South Goa, who was then the Parish Priest of Assolna Church) and 20 others.
They were charged under section 307 of the Indian Penal Code (attempt to commit murder) and under section 143, 144, 147, 148, 186, 323, 324, 326, 332, 333, 341, 342, 353 read with section 149 of the IPC. The attempt to murder section was later dropped by then JMFC, Margao Judge Ram Prabhudesai on grounds that the hurt certificate does not show grievous injuries sustained by the CID personnel.
