Chicalim Parish Priest Fr Bolmax Pereira has been finally booked (of course despite the said priest already tendering an apology over this very same issue) on Friday evening for allegedly making some objectionable statements (the video clip of which had gone viral on various social platforms including WhatsApp) through his sermon on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and for hurting the religious sentiments of our Hindu community in Goa.
Well, earlier on the same day, hundreds of Shiv Premis/supporters of right wing organisations were seen creating (of course with the full backing and support of the BJP government in the state) a ruckus at the Vasco police station and demanding the arrest of Fr Bolmax Pereira.
Well, why Fr Bolmax should be booked in the first place in Goa? Has he tried to instigate his followers or have made a very dirty derogatory remark against Shivaji during his sermon in that particular video clip?
Hey, being a Catholic priest, doesn't Fr Bolmax has a fundamental right (just like all the Hindu Sadhus/ priests who have joined politics and are proudly seen today sitting in a number of state assemblies, which includes the Parliament) to speak on issues of God and to express his own personal view/opinion over a variety of issues (which include politics) in front of his devotees even in his own designated place of worship in a modern civilised state like Goa?
And why are some ruling politicians (including CM Sawant) deliberately trying to politicise Fr Bolmax's sermon for no reason? Where were they when Subash Velingkar had openly said that St Francis Xavier is not a 'Goencho Saib' whilst speaking at a press conference last year and why they had not bothered to condemn that particular statement as well or had not gone to lodge a number of police complaints against him with the help of their own supporters (like they are doing today) for hurting the religious sentiments of all the Catholics in Goa?
I think that some ruling politicians are deliberately trying to spread communal hatred in the state by fully backing the intimidating tactics of the above mentioned trouble makers over Fr Bolmax's sermon and adding some more fuel to this very small lit-up fire to somehow turn Goa into another Manipur very soon.
