SANGUEM
A group of farmers from Sanguem on Monday filed a police complaint against Sanguem MLA Subhash Phaldessai and others, accusing them of criminal intimidation, criminal conspiracy, violence and threats to the farming community, after their meeting was disrupted by IIT supporters and it abruptly came to an end on July 17.
In their complaint at Sanguem Police Station, the farmers have stated that authorities had not taken them into confidence before proposing the proposed site for IIT wherein they have their farmlands and had also failed to provide them any information about the IIT.
The complaint further alleged that the IIT supporters with a clear intention to crush their legitimate and fundamental right to discuss on the issue pertaining to their living, barged inside the meeting hall and disturbed the peaceful conduct of the meeting.
The complaint further states that one of the IIT supporters grabbed the mike from the convenor of the meeting and started criticising the organisers, leading to chaos inside the meeting hall and IIT supporters chanting slogans in favour of the project.
The farmers have also accused the police of failing to take appropriate action against the IIT supporters when they barged inside the meeting hall and disturbed the meeting.
The farmers also accused the police for failing to provide the conveners of the meeting due protection while they were leaving the meeting hall, as the IIT supporters threw water bottles on the meeting convenor Constancio Mascarenhas and a social worker Meshu D’Costa.
The damage caused to a car owned by Santano Rodrigues was also mentioned in the police complaint.
The farmers have requested the police to immediately register the FIR against Sanguem MLA Subhash Phaldessai and others as they were denied of their rightful act to conduct the meeting even after having obtained due permission from the Deputy Collector to conduct the meeting.
Copies of the complaint have been forwarded to the DGP and the South Goa SP.
Woman complains of abuse at IIT site
SANGUEM: A complaint was filed by a 22-year-old woman at the Sanguem Police Station on July 24, accusing some persons who had gone to inspect the IIT site of having a verbal altercation with her.
In her complaint, Swizel Cruz said the incident had taken place when she was in her farmland and some persons had gone to inspect the proposed IIT site.
Claiming that since the issue raised by the farming community is yet to be resolved, Cruz has asked the police to inform them of any activities to be carried at the proposed site since their farmlands and farming activities at the proposed site are at stake.
