JULIO D’SILVA

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Margao:  In a clear case of sarkari might, the Health Minister Vishwajit Rane’s Personal Security officer, filed a complaint  resulting in a barrage of cases lodged against a 70-year-old lady and 40-year-old daughter, who had the temerity, to charge at the minster’s car at the Hospicio Hospital and shout at him  after they were blocked from entering it by the hospital's security guard

The Margao Town Police Station today registered a case against the two women who assailed Health Minister Vishwajit Rane at Hospicio yesterday evening invoking Sections of the Indian Penal Code attracting imprisonment of up to three years along with a fine.

Acting upon the complaint lodged by Vishwajit’s Personal Security Officer Sharad Chopdekar, the police also booked the ladies under Section 2 of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act as the complainant stated that one of them tried to snatch away the National Flag attached to the car.

The ladies were extremely upset and wanted to raise the issue of being roughly restricted by the security guard when they came to the casualty section of the hospital. When they saw Health Minister 

Rane, they vented their anger saying that the watchman had physically thrown them out. The minister asked them to calm down and told them “You are talking to a minister, not some ordinary labourer”. He also said that he would address their issue. Not satisfied the ladies then said that he had joined the BJP even though his father had served the Congress for long and hurled abuses at him.

However, the minister’s car drove off and late at night Rane told Herald that it wasn’t much of an issue and he had kept calm throughout.

It was therefore surprising that the very next day multiple cases were registered against the mother- daughter duo based on a complaint by none other than the minister's PSO. 70-year-old Maria D’Cruz who earlier used to work at Hospicio as a nurse and against her 40-year-old daughter Avita Godinho who are both reportedly residents of Margao but police were not willing to divulge the exact locality.

Police Inspector Philomeno Costa who is holding additional charge of Margao Town Police Station said he would disclose further details only after the investigations are complete.

Cases have been lodged under Sections 353, 341. 352, 504, and 186 of the Indian Penal Code read with Section 36 besides Section 2 of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act 1971. This Section 2 of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act can attract imprisonment of up to three years.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Dinraj Govenkar justified the Sections levied on grounds that the law mandates those Sections for the acts committed by the two ladies. “The law does not differentiate about the age of the person committing the act,” he said when the ladies’ age was pointed out.

As the complaint mentions that one of them tried to snatch the National flag  and so Prevention of Insults to National Honour was invoked he said while pointing out that the other Sections pertained to restraining a public servant from carrying out his duties or abuse to a person or using force against a public servant.

The point here is that couldn’t the hurt and spontaneous act of two citizens one of whom 70, for simply venting their frustration at a minister be seen as just than.

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Just look at the charges against these two ladies