PANAJI
The Bombay High Court at Goa on Friday quashed the FIR filed against Fr Bolmax Pereira, the parish priest of Chicalim Church, who was booked for allegedly outrageous statements against Chhatrapati Shivaji made last year.
The High Court allowed a petition filed by Pereira, who had sought quashing of the FIR lodged against him. The police had booked Fr Pereira under Sections 295A (deliberate acts to outrage religious feelings), and section 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), based on a complaint that was filed by Shiv Premis (lovers of Shivaji), who alleged that in his comments he had outraged their sentiments.
Fr Pereira was booked for his comments made during a sermon that was uploaded on YouTube after a large crowd of people gathered outside the Vasco Police Station demanding that he be arrested for his comments.
On August 22 last year, around 150-200 Shiv premis gathered outside the police station in the port town of Vasco demanding the arrest of Catholic priest and social campaigner Bolmax Pereira over comments he made during a religious celebration concerning Shivaji.
In a video that circulated on social media, Fr Pereira had said that while the Maratha warrior king was a ‘national hero’, “some people had made him into a god.”
“There are a few people for whom Shivaji has become a god. Shivaji is not a god. Yes, he's a national hero. We have to honour and respect him. What he has done, the battles he has fought to protect his people, for all that he deserves respect. He is a hero, but not a god. But today the Hindutva-vadis have come forward and have made him a god. We have to dialogue with our Hindu brethren and ask them: Is Shivaji your god? or a national hero. If he is a national hero, let it be at that. Don't make him a god. We need to understand their perspective. If we live in fear, we will not be able to rise again,” the priest was heard saying in a sermon that was delivered in the context of attacks on Christians.
The priest later apologised if he had hurt sentiments and said that his comments were taken out of context.
