The district police have decided to seek the intervention of the South Goa District Collector in the light of Wednesday’s incident at Ravindra Bhavan, Margao on grounds that such incidents may lead to law and order problem.
The police are also believed to have expressed its inability in dealing with such matters in the absence of any mechanism to check and verify the contents of songs.
District police chief, SP Shekar Prabhudesai, told The Goan that he will dispatch a detailed report to the District Collector on the Ravindra Bhavan incident since it may lead to law and order problem in the district.
“I have received a detailed report from Margao Sub-divisional Police officer, DySP Dinraj Govekar in respect of Wednesday’s incident. My report will go to the District Collector on Friday,” he said.
Asked whether the police would ban the singer from singing the songs in view of Wednesday’s incident, SP Prabhudesai said, "There is no question of recommendation a ban on the songs and neither will my office request the Collector to call the two parties. It is purely for the Collector to take a call on matter taking into account the law and order situation.”
Sources in the know said the police have decided to seek the intervention of the district collector in the absence of any mechanism in place to check the contents of songs or to stop any one from singing songs. “The police were indeed handicapped when the incident broke out at Ravindra bhavan. We were helpless to deal with the matter for want of a mechanism to address such matters”, remarked a senior police officer.
Opposition MLAs from Salcete have sent a message to Goa Vikas Party supremo and Nuvem MLA Mickky Pacheco not to threaten people "before the war", with Curtorim Congress MLA Reginaldo Lourenco saying instead of issuing threats, the legislators should brace for a fight on the election field.
Independent MLA Vijai Sardesai also condemned Wednesday’s incident, saying the atmosphere of intolerance prevalent all over the country is being spread in Goa by BJP’s supporting MLAs which was evident from Wednesday's incident at Ravindra Bhavan, Margao.
“The MLA has just served a jail sentence for his previous indiscretion. His attempt on Wednesday to stifle freedom of speech and expression of Goa’s leading tiatrist/kantarist, Francis de Tuem, proves that he has not mended his ways and that he still enjoys the full backing of the ruling BJP in his misdemeanour,” Vijai said.
“In the light of his continuing proximity to the communal and divisive forces, his recent statement that his party would contest all the 40 Assembly seats is obviously just another ploy of the dirty tricks department of the BJP. It is now up to the Chief Minister to prove that the BJP has learnt a lesson from the Bihar poll result,” the Fatorda MLA added,
Curtorim MLA said that attacks on the tiatr fraternity have been on since the BJP government tried to bring censorship on tiatr.
“During the Congress rule i.e. Digambar Kamat's regime, tiatrists had directed their songs at Kamat and the Congress party, but we had taken the songs sportingly. But, the current lot of ruling MLAs are not ready to accept any criticism. I feel the government i.e. the BJP government should listen to the songs since they had come to power taking advantage of the songs that were directed at the Congress,” he said.
Terming the incident at Ravindra Bhavan, Margao as most undemocratic, Reginaldo said it appears that Mickky is getting saffronised as the saffron brigade comprising BJP and RSS are used to taking law in their hands. “Let us fight on the battlefield. Don’t threaten somebody before the war starts,” he asserted.
+
Will lodge plaint with police at witnesses: Mickky
Nuvem MLA Mickky Pacheco on Thursday said that he would certainly lodge a defamation case against singer Francis de Tuem by citing Margao police as witnesses, even as he demanded that the police inquire whether the singer possesses any gun and license to use the arm.
When the media questioned the Nuvem MLA why he has not lodged a defamation case against the singer if he was aggrieved by the song, Mickky told The Goan that he had no evidence to proceed against the singer till Wednesday.
“I could not to proceed against the singer as I didn't possess the contents of the song. But, since Tuem has sung the song with police protection, I have now decided to lodge a defamation case against the singer by citing Margao PI C L Patil and other police officers as witnesses,” he said, adding “Since the PI had allowed the singer to sing the song with police protection and has recorded the song, I would cite PI Patil as the main witness in the case.”
The Nuvem MLA further demanded that Margao police should check whether Tuem owns a fire arm and whether the singer has any license to use it.
“I want a detailed inquiry into these questions. The Margao police should get to the truth in these questions,” he demanded.
+
Betalbatim local registers complaint against Francis
A day after singer Francis de Tuem lodged a police complaint against a group of persons for disruption of the tiatr at Ravindra Bhavan, a resident of Betalbatim, Peter Fernandes, on Thursday called for action against the singer of the song for criminal intimidation, defamation and criminal restraint.
In his complaint that was lodged before Margao police, Peter alleged when around 100 members of the audience went onto the stage and confronted him on his abusive and slanderous song, the singer allegedly pulled out a revolver and pointed it out to Telson Feranndes, Francis alias Ranton, Frazer and others.
In the complaint, Peter stated that the song contained certain defamatory lines which were per se scandalous and intended to malign the character of the MLA. The song sung by Francis de Tuem was per se defamatory and had a direct reference to our MLA Mickky Pacheco, he added.
Peter made a mention of a line in the song which read as follows: “Mickey Mouse had been sent to jail where he stayed in the rat hole for two months and after it started raining, came rushing out of the hole, Mickey Mouse was punished for slapping an engineer and had to clean the toilets while in jail”.
+
Francis files case against Nuvem MLA's supporters
Acting on the complaint lodged by Konkani singer, Francis de Tuem, Margao police has registered cases against the supporters of Nuvem MLA Mickky Pacheco under various provisions of the IPC in connection with Wednesday’s incident at the Ravindra Bhavan, Margao.
The police has booked Franky D’Mello, resident of Poriebhat, Verna, Romtom alias Minguel, resident of Pateapur Nuvem, Remy, resident of Nuvem, Terry Fernandes, Peter, Manuel and Valeriano Fernandes, resident of Mazilvaddo Benaulim under section 143, 354, 506(ii), 451 read with 149 of the IPC.
Tuem in his complaint has alleged that the seven persons along with others with their common intention formed an unlawful assembly and disrupted the tiatr by threatening him with dire consequences and further trespassed into the green room (changing room) of female actresses, thereby outraging their modesty.
Margao PI, C L Patil, informed that the singer Francis de Tuem was called at the police station to verify the complaint lodged by him on Wednesday. Asked whether the police has verified whether Tuem is in possession of a real gun and a license to operate as demanded to know by the Nuvem MLA, Patil said the question does not arise at all since the police had found a toy gun with the singer at Ravindra Bhavan on Wednesday.
Asked whether any case will be registered against Tuem based on a counter complaint lodged by Peter, Pail said, “At the most, singing a defamatory song may amount to a non-cognizable offense."
