Alleges son was repeatedly isolated, traumatised during hours of questioning at police station
MAPUSA
The mother of the 22-year-old Mapusa youth who allegedly died by suicide after being named in a garbage-dumping case has demanded criminal action against police officers, alleging that her son was repeatedly isolated from his family and subjected to severe mental trauma during hours of questioning at the Mapusa Police Station.
In a detailed complaint addressed to the North Goa Superintendent of Police, with copies marked to the Chief Minister, Director General of Police and Home Secretary, Genevieve De Braganca, the mother of the deceased youth, sought registration of an FIR against the police officers concerned for alleged abetment of suicide and other relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
She also demanded action against the creator of the viral video that triggered public outrage against her son and called for an inquiry into the functioning of several electronic media platforms that, she alleged, circulated unverified content and disclosed her son’s identity before any guilt had been established.
Providing a graphic account of the events preceding her son’s death, De Braganca alleged that she, her son and her two daughters were summoned to the Mapusa Police Station at around 3 pm and remained there until nearly 10 pm.
According to the complaint, the most disturbing aspect of the ordeal was that her son was repeatedly taken away from the family and questioned separately by police officers.
“My son was taken separately into a room on repeated occasions and we were made to sit outside. My son was subjected to tremendous mental trauma and repeatedly taken from one room to another by various officers of the Mapusa Police Station,” she stated in the complaint.
The grieving mother alleged that while the family waited outside, her son was subjected to a series of inquiries and investigations concerning allegations that he had dumped garbage at a public location.
She claimed the repeated questioning and isolation left the young man emotionally shattered.
According to De Braganca, her son returned from the police station in a state of shock and became increasingly distressed after discovering the extent of criticism and condemnation directed at him on social media platforms.
She alleged that a video recorded by an unidentified individual had been circulated widely on social media and electronic media channels without verification, resulting in what she described as a public trial and character assassination of her son.
The complaint further accuses police officers PSI Mangesh Palni and PI Navin Desai of invoking legal provisions against her son without conducting a proper investigation or applying due diligence.
Describing her son as a victim of false propaganda, she alleged that the viral campaign against him, coupled with the manner in which he was treated at the police station, created circumstances that ultimately drove him to take the extreme step. “My son was forced to end his life by the compelling circumstances arising out of irresponsible and insensitive treatment from the police officers and also because of a social media viral video causing a social outrage vandalising his character on social media platforms,” she stated.
De Braganca has also sought the transfer of the investigation from the Mapusa Police Station to another police station with competent jurisdiction, arguing that an independent probe is necessary to ensure justice and maintain public confidence in the investigation.
Key question: How did youth get revolver?
MAPUSA: Even as public attention remains fixed on the circumstances that allegedly drove a 22-year-old Mapusa college student to take his own life, police are now grappling with another troubling question: how did the young man obtain the revolver used in the shooting?
The firearm, believed to be an illegal weapon, has been recovered by the police and is now at the centre of a parallel investigation. “We are also investigating how the illegal gun came into the possession of the youth,” a police officer associated with the probe said.
Police are expected to examine whether the weapon was procured recently, borrowed from someone known to the youth, or sourced through illegal channels. The answers could open an entirely new dimension to a case that has already sparked widespread public scrutiny.
Police officials said the family, still reeling from the tragedy, has not yet been questioned in detail about the firearm.
However, inquiries are likely to begin once family members are in a position to cooperate with the investigation.
Post-mortem report, CCTV footage sought through RTI
MAPUSA: The mother of the 22-year-old youth late Saturday evening moved an RTI application seeking certified documents related to her son’s case, including the post-mortem report.
The application was filed before the SDPO, the designated Public Information Officer, with a request for urgent disclosure of records. The family alleged that police had refused to provide them a copy of the post-mortem report.
Through the RTI plea, she has sought CCTV footage from all cameras installed on the ground and first floors of Mapusa Police Station between 3 pm and 11 pm on June 4. She has also requested copies of the FIR and complaint registered in the case.
