VALPOI/PANAJI
A day after the agitation launched by locals at Melaulim against the IIT project there turned violent, the Goa Police on Thursday arrested one person and booked an FIR against over 100 protesters present at the site during the violence including political activists of the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
The violence had erupted after a government team of surveyors were pelted with stones and in retaliation police had cane charged hundreds of protesters who had blocked access to the site.
Director General of Police Mukesh Kumar Meena, IPS, meanwhile descended on ground zero on Thursday morning and held a high-level meeting to beef up the security in the area. Strong police presence was deployed at the the site as well as at the Valpoi police station.
The DGP convened a meeting with police officials, deputy collector, mamlatdar, joint mamlatdars and the demarcation team at the 2nd IRB Camp in Valpoi.
However, further tension is likely as protesters have vowed to oppose demarcation work which is expected to resume on Friday.
According to reports, Valpoi police arrested Vishwesh Prabhu of Valpoi on charges of assaulting the police and was later sent to the Mapusa police station lockup.
A police official stated that an FIR had been registered against over 100 Shel-Melauli protesters, political leaders and others involved in the violent clashes on Wednesday.
The official did not rule out further arrests of protestors, if the need arose.
While senior police officials were in Valpoi to discuss the security arrangements, additional police forces were dispatched to Valpoi in light of ongoing demarcation work and violent clashes between the police and locals of Shal-Melauli who have been protesting against the IIT project.
It was also learnt that DSP Meena transferred the FIRs registered by Valpoi police against the Shel-Melauli locals and protesters to the Crime Branch.
Incidentally, the arrest of one person and the offence booked against over 100 persons did not deter locals of Shel-Melauli from continuing their protest at the site, even though a government team did not conduct any survey on Thursday.
Denouncing the arrest of one protester and FIR against 21 other protestors, the Shel Melauli Gram Bachao Samiti insisted that the police should arrest all those present at the agitation and not just the leaders.
They vowed to continue with their protests the IIT project is either scrapped or moved out of Melauli.
Demarcation work to go ahead: CM
VALPOI: A defiant Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said the demarcation work would continue and the IIT project would come up at Melauli only.
Speaking to Prudent TV, Sawant insisted that the government would not allow anyone to take law into their hands.
