the goan I network
MARGAO
Agitated over the revocation of the permission for it's grand conference at the Lohia Maidan on Sunday, the Popular Front of India has cautioned Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and the state government to correct their discriminatory policy against the minority Muslim community and protect their constitutional right to freedom of expression, assembly and association.
Staging a protest in front of the South Goa district Collectorate against the revocation of permissions, the Popular Front of India has called upon all peace loving people of Goa to raise their voice against such communally motivated injustices and help to maintain the Goan tradition of harmony and fraternity among different religious communities.
PFI state president Syed Iftiyaz told the media that the authorities seemed to have succumbed to threats of some having vested interests by revoking the permissions when the police ought to have provide security for the grand conference.
"Five persons under the name of Desh premi Nagrik issued a threat to the authorities that they will be held responsible if any communal tension arise over the grand conference. We fail to understand why the police has succumbed to these people. Instead, the police should have provided us the security", Iftiyaz said.
While condemning the decision to revoke the permissions, he said the PFI will not remain silent but will again move to authorities to hold the grand conference with proper permisisons.
In the memorandum addressed to the district Collector, the PFI said that curtailing the rights of expressing the view of the minority community is disrespect to the country's Constitution and an act of absolute discrimination.
"We have learnt that the state government is indulging in putting immense pressure on the district administration and police to deny permission to the Popular Front which is an absolute denial of our constitutional rights as citizens in the state", the memorandum stated.
"The withdrawal of permission without any reason is a categorical denial of constitutional rights to not only the popular front of India, but to the entire Muslim community in the state", the memorandum added.
