25 Apr 2017  |   07:23pm IST

Battle continues for justice for Fr Bismarque

Team Herald

PANJIM: 

Petitioners and friends of Fr Bismarque Dias who was found dead under suspicious circumstances in 2015, on Tuesday demanded that Crime Branch should accurately investigate this case including interrogation of five crucial witnesses claiming that there were loopholes in the previous investigation.

Fr Dias was found dead under mysterious circumstances in a river at St Estevam village in the year 2015 following which the Crime Branch had initiated investigation. But the investigating officer had ruled out foul play in his death, claiming it as ‘death due to drowning.’

Meanwhile, Goa bench of Bombay high court which was hearing the petition filed by friends of Fr Bismarque had asked crime branch to file FIR in this case and reopen the investigation.

Addressing the media, the petitioners have demanded that Crime Branch should accurately investigate this case including interrogation of five crucial witnesses claiming that there were loopholes in the previous investigation.

“All the people mentioned by Fr Bismarque as a threat to his life in the video recording which he made prior to his death, which include the members of St Estevam Gram Panchayat and certain builders and representatives of mega construction companies must be thoroughly interrogated. Similarly grievous injuries of Fr Bismarque’s forehead and neck during the first inquest panchanama conducted on 07/11/15 do not reflect at in the two subsequent post-mortem reports” said petitioners Sudeep Dalvi, Kennedy Afonso and Samir kelekar

Further, the trio has also demanded the five key witnesses who had seen Fr Bismarque at a location different from that mentioned by two boys who were seen along with him; need to be properly examined for the truth to come out.

“Also the blood stained inner vest of Father which was found by his friends and handed over to the Old Goa Police said to contain no human blood as per the police version, but it wasn’t stated at all that if not blood, then of what the stains were composed. Therefore we demand a thorough investigation in this affair and re-examination of the said vest” the trio said

It can be recalled that Crime Branch after a detailed inquiry had concluded that Bismarque’s death was due to drowning and a closure report was submitted to the sub divisional magistrate, Tiswadi.

However, the HC has now also asked Crime Branch to submit its progress report to the court every three months. The court has observed that when family members had filed a complaint alleging murder, and body was found under suspicious conditions, it was the duty of the Police to register it as a murder and investigate.

Meanwhile, friends of Bismarque, including Sudeep Dalvi, Kennedy Afonso and Samir Kelekar, had approached the HC with a petition to direct Crime Branch to register Bismarque’s death as murder for further investigations. Almost 45 days later the family had also filed a similar petition before the same court and both were attached and heard by the court.