MAPUSA
After remaining holed up inside the premises of the Calangute panchayat for almost six hours, Calangute Sarpanch Joseph Sequeira came out surrounded by police and apologised for “hurting sentiments” of a section of the people.
“The letter (direction to remove the Shivaji Maharaj statue) has been withdrawn and if I have hurt the sentiments of any section of the people I apologise,” Sequeira said while briefly addressing the boisterous crowd outside the panchayat office.
Sources informed that the sarpanch initially refused to apologise to the mob but later relented after persuasion of the authorities.
“Top leaders in the government also called up the sarpanch and requested him to relent to calm the frayed tempers,” a source in the know said.
