Police intervene over election code, but leaders continue speeches after brief standoff
Goa Forward president and Fatorday MLA Vijai Sardesai intervenes as police try to stop meeting at Gaondongrim.
CANACONA
A public meeting of the Goa Forward Party at Gaondongrim was disrupted and came to an abrupt end late Saturday evening, when a police team walked up on stage in a bid to stop the event in view of the election code of conduct.
According to reports, the GFP meeting was chaired by Fatorda MLA and Party President Vija Sardesai, with former minister Isidore Fernandes, GFP Canacona Block President Pandurang alias Datta Gaonkar and other party leaders in attendance.
A police force went to the venue and stood outside the hall, while Datta Gaonkar was delivering a welcome address.
On noticing some policemen standing by the side door of the hall, Gaonkar ended his address.
Canacona Police Inspector Harish Raut Dessai then walked up to the podium and directed the GPF not to use the public address system at the meeting.
A Canacona councillor then asked PI Dessai to justify the sudden stoppage of the proceedings. When PI Dessai sought permission from the organisers to hold the meeting, he was given a copy of the permission.
PI Dessai, however, insisted that since the model code of conduct was in force, the GFP did not have permission to conduct the meeting or use a public address system.
Tension flared up when Prashant Naik, Mohandas Lolienkar, and Vikas Bhagat entered into a heated discussion with PI Dessai and asked him to leave the venue.
Sardesai then intervened and told the police officer that he should leave the site since the microphone had been switched off. Sardesai told the police that he is an MLA and need not be taught about the rule of law.
As chaos and heated discussions between the police and the GFP leaders continued to prevail, some more policemen joined PI Dessai and the large gathering of supporters witnessing the proceedings promptly booed the police for disrupting the meeting.
The police team eventually left the venue and the meeting later continued as GFP leaders Vijai Sardesai, Isidore Fernandes, Prashant Naik, and Mohandas Lolienkar, addressed the audience.
