After days of de nial and damage control, the Goa Police have finally reg istered an FIR against sus pended PSI Nilesh Shirvoikar for the alleged custodial assault on Edberg Pereira (37) of Navelim — the same incident they had earlier de scribed as a mere ‘fall’ inside the Margao police station. The move, which came late Wednesday evening after a wave of public outrage, has raised a pointed question — if Pereira simply ‘misbal anced and fell’, why is a case now registered against the officer? In a statement issued on Friday morning, South Goa SP Tikam Singh reit erated that the October 22 incident occurred when Pereira, who was alleged ly intoxicated, was being calmed down by duty of ficer PSI Shirvoikar. Singh claimed the accused lost his balance, fell on the skirting of the floor and sustained a head injury. According to Singh, im mediate medical attention was provided and Pereira was rushed to the South Goa District Hospital, be fore being shifted to Goa Medical College (GMC), Bambolim, where he lat er underwent emergency brain surgery. The controversy deep ened on Wednesday when a new video surfaced, pur portedly showing police personnel assaulting Perei ra during their initial visit to Navelim — before he was taken to the police station. The video, which quickly went viral, has further in flamed public outrage.
Pereira’s family members have maintained that he was beaten both at the scene and later inside the police station, and that his injuries were not accidental but deliberate and brutal. His mother, Viola Pereira, who filed the formal complaint leading to the FIR, has alleged that her son was struck with a blunt weapon. According to Viola Pereira, her son was chained and beaten with a weapon by a police officer inside the Margao police station. “There was a loud sound, and suddenly everything went silent. When we tried to intervene, the officer pushed us aside. My son was lying on the floor in a pool of blood,” she recounted. Social activist, Adv Pratima Coutinho, who met the fam ily, charged that Pereira’s aunt, Lucia Pereira, a retired teacher, was allegedly offered Rs 3 lakh by three policemen to withdraw the complaint. Edberg, currently undergoing treatment at Goa Medi cal College and Hospital (GMC), Bambolim, underwent an emergency brain surgery on Tuesday evening. His aunt, Lucia, said doctors confirmed that he had sustained a ma jor injury on the left side of his brain and warned that the damage could lead to paralysis on the left side of his body. What began as an apparent accident narrative has since unraveled. Upon inspection of the CCTV footage and a pre liminary inquiry, Shirvoikar was placed under suspension and an FIR was lodged under Sections 115(2) and 198 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) — for voluntarily caus ing hurt and abuse of authority by a public servant. A city-based advocate stated that all these Sections are non-cognisable and bailable. The application of weak sec tions of the BNS has prompted widespread criticism that the registration was meant to appease public sentiment rather than ensure justice. The developments have triggered a storm across Goa, with activists, opposition parties and lawyers accusing the police of gross misconduct, custodial brutality and a subse quent cover-up attempt. Adv Pratima Coutinho, lashed out at the police, calling the SP’s explanation an insult to public intelligence. “The SP says Edberg was intoxicated and fell. Then why was he chained by both legs at the police station? If this was an ac cident, why register a case now? This is clearly a cover-up,” Coutinho countered. Visiting the victim’s family at GMC, AAP State president Adv Amit Palekar posted a scathing message on X, accusing the police of lying and demanding immediate registration of a cognisable offence. “Your statement @spsouthgoa of misbalance and fall of custodial assault on youth of Goa is based on what evidence collected? Have you recorded statements of eye witnesses and family before whom he was assaulted murderously? Why no offence has been registered as of now against the officers of @Goa Police when a cognisable offence has been committed? Will @DGP Goa and CM @DrPramodPSawant care to answer? We have met the family and their narration of facts is bone chilling and department is lying about the assault which is nothing short of attempt to murder. @BJP 4Goa has already converted Goa into Mirzapur. Same is the case with guns used at Pernem. The sand mafia is connect ed to MLA and Police alike. @AAPGoa demands immediate registration of FIR against the officers concerned,” his post on X read. TMC national spokesperson Trajano D’Mello echoed the demand. D’Mello said, “The horrific assault by the cops on Edberg Pereira in the police station has confirmed the lawlessness of the law enforcing authority which is the reason for the law and order in shambles in the State. The suspension of the PSI as announced by the SP South is a clear acknowledgement that prima facie his involvement was there. In such a case an attempt to murder should be registered against the PSI and all his accomplices immedi ately handing over the above investigation to a retired High Court Judge.” All India Lawyers Union, Goa unit spokesperson Adv Seoula Vas said, “The case should be registered against the Margao PI and the SP South for trying to cover up the of fence. The incident had occurred on October 22 and the in tention of the two officers was to hush it up. But it came to light because the victim was admitted in the GMC. The sus pension of PSI is not a legal action and it is a departmen tal issue which is civil in nature. Victim’s family has filed a written complaint and an FIR has been registered against PSI and the police has to investigate case thoroughly. Activist Mahesh Naik said, “Suspension of PSI is not a solution. As per CCS Rules he is unfit to be government servant and should be dismissed from service. Police have no right to take law in their hands. Nobody is above law. Chief Minister should own moral responsibility and quit. We were planning to convene a public meeting at Lohia Maidan, Margao to create awareness on the police excesses and collapse of law and order in the State but it was called off due to bad weather.”
