MAPUSA
Aldona MLA Carlos Ferreira has demanded a Crime Branch investigation into the death of the Mapusa youth who allegedly died by suicide following a controversy over the dumping of waste and the subsequent registration of an FIR.
Ferreira called for action against the individual who recorded and circulated the viral video of the youth allegedly dumping garbage. He alleged that the youth was wrongfully restrained, threatened and publicly humiliated.
He also sought action against police personnel involved in registering the FIR and summoning the youth to the police station.
According to Ferreira, the youth was officially summoned to the police station on June 5 but had already been called there by telephone on June 4, where he reportedly spent nearly seven hours without any formal notice being served.
Questioning the basis of the police action, Ferreira said he could not understand how an FIR was registered in the absence of a complaint. He argued that if the incident involved only the dumping of waste, the matter could have been dealt with through a fine rather than criminal proceedings.
“The video does not clearly show what was being thrown. There was no conviction and no evidence establishing the nature of the waste. Yet Section 271 of the BNS was invoked,” Ferreira said, describing the registration of the FIR as malicious and legally questionable.
He further alleged that the person who filmed the incident took the youth’s motorcycle key, threatened him and wrongfully restrained him. The MLA also criticised the circulation of the youth’s identity and details, saying individuals accused of offences are generally entitled to privacy protections.
Maintaining that the case cannot be fairly investigated by the same police station involved in the matter, Ferreira demanded a Crime Branch probe and said justice must be ensured for the deceased youth and his family.