AUGUSTO RODRIGUES
SARFONA, SANCOALE: Was Sancoale Panch Tulsidas Naik arrested on December 4, 2024, and released at 00:30 hours on December 5, 2024, paying the price for his strong and vocal opposition against the contentious Bhutani mega project in his village? This is what the locals are asking.
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Naik was arrested under Section 3 of PDPP Act (Prevention of Damage of Public Property Act) and released by Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Shahir Issani on bail.
Panch Naik’s arrest did not surprise many in the village who are fighting against the planned Bhutani Infra project in the ward, but the manner the police have crawled has left many flummoxed.
“The Supreme Court judgment is clear that no person, who is booked under an offence whose maximum punishment is less than seven years, can be arrested. Tulsidas is fighting to save our ward and Bhutani might have reached far and wide,” averred Socorina Marques.
“First, they have blocked our access to our property and in desperation to break our movement, they are trying to implicate Tulsidas. I was witness to the farce enacted at the panchayat meeting,” she storms.
South Goa Superintendent of Police (SP) Sunita Sawant offered not to comment on the case.
However, when asked whether she was aware of the Supreme Court judgment and the fact that no arrest can be made in any case where the maximum imprisonment is less than seven years, she said “The case is sub judice.”
“Let the judge decide on the case and I will comment after,” stated Sawant when she was asked whether she was aware of the Supreme Court judgment and that it had nothing to do with the arrest of Tulsidas Naik.
“It is very clear that the case is political and the hand of Bhutani is very evident. I was present during the meeting, right in front, and I did not see Tulsidas tearing anything,” remarked Praveena Naik. “If anything, it should be the secretary who should be taken to task for his behaviour. Even the videos clearly show that he was not involved. It is obvious that the police were acting at the behest of their boss,” she added.
“The police were present in court on the sixth but they sought time. The judge asked them to be present on December 10 with a checklist,” stated Tulsidas Naik.
“It will be nice to see what arguments the police come forward with during the next hearing. Apart from having no proof, they, as law enforcers have blatantly violated the Supreme Court order just to satisfy their new bosses, Bhutani,” mocked Marques.
