Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas and others confront police officials over the presence of policemen at the Colva church on Tuesday.
MARGAO
Colva village was on the boil on Tuesday after hundreds of villagers stormed the police station following the police presence at Colva Church, at a time when villagers were holding a meeting near a chapel in the fishing ward in support of a local fisherman’s family amid an ongoing standoff with Delhi builders over a right of way.
After news spread that Colva police station in-charge PI Vikram Naik, along with a posse of policemen, had visited the church around noon, villagers left the meeting and rushed to the church premises to ascertain the reason for the police presence.
Not finding the police team, they rushed to the Colva police station, seeking answers over the police visit to the Church and demanding action against the police officer, including his immediate transfer and suspension.
By Tuesday evening, PI Vikram Naik was transferred out of Colva and was told to report at the South district police headquarters. Cuncolim Police Station in-charge, PI Diego Gracias has been given additional charge of Colva police station.
Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas, social worker Warren Alemao, activist Fidol Pereira and Colva villagers descended at the police station as they questioned PI Naik over his decision to visit the Colva Church with a posse of policemen.
As a tense situation prevailed at the police station, Sub-divisional Police officer, Margao DySP Sidhant Shirodkar and later Superintendent of Police, South Santosh Desai rushed to Colva to calm down frayed tempers and to avoid a law and order situation.
The tension came against the backdrop of a recent incident between members of the local family and the Delhi party over a pathway and right of way, with locals raising suspicious of the cops supporting the Delhi builders.
In fact, villagers of Colva had invited the media for a briefing on Tuesday morning near a local Chapel in the fishing ward over the manner in which the Delhi party has gone about constructing the villas.
Even as the villagers were briefing the media, news spread that PI Vikram Naik along with posse of policemen had gone to the Colva Church around noon. Suspecting something hanky panky, the villagers rushed to the police station to ascertain the motive behind the police presence at the Church, suspecting that the police had come with ulterior motives.
As the crowd swelled at the Colva police station, the villagers demanded an apology from PI Naik followed by his suspension. The PI came at the receiving end of the crowd as they demanded to know from SP Santosh Desai why his transfer order issued last year has not been enforced till date.
PI Vikram Naik, however, maintained that he and a posse of policemen were heading to the Chapel where a meeting was called by the villagers to discuss the pathway issue. “On the way, I decided to call on the Parish Priest since I was told that an announcement was made in the Church about Tuesday’s meeting near the Chapel. I alone went inside the Church to meet the Parish Priest to discuss the fisherman/Delhi party right of way issue, while the staff were told to wait outside the Church premises. I had no intention to create a scene at the Church or to hurt anyone’s sentiments with the police presence”, PI Naik sought to clarify his stand.
The crowd, however, rejected his argument, insisting that the SP, South give effect to the transfer order by shunting out PI Naik from Colva followed by his dismissal. It was only after the crowed refused to leave the police station premises, that the district police Chief assured to transfer the PI from Colva.
