Team Herald

PANJIM: Acting belatedly, Panjim Police booked taxi union leaders for instigating the mining dependent protestors and also added sections of the Goa Children’s Act against the agitators who were booked for blocking the highway and illegally protesting at the Kranti circle in Panjim.

Panjim Police Inspector Sidhant Shirodkar said that relevant sections of the Children’s Act were subsequently added in the offence as students were affected due to the blockade and were unnecessarily harassed by the mining dependents on March 19. 

Police also booked taxi union leaders, including Laxman Korgaonkar and Vinayak Nanoskar, for instigating   the   mining 

dependents with fiery speeches that led to the clash between police and agitators and damage of public property.

Shirodkar said that summons have been issued to taxi union leaders to appear before the investigation officer on Monday. He said that a second summons has also been issued to the 16 agitators who have been identified and named in the offence.

Of the 16 agitators, 10 have already filed for anticipatory bail in the Panjim court fearing arrest. All failed to depose before the police on the first summons. Shirodkar said that police will arrest all the accused involved in the offence.

Police have booked an offence against all identified leaders of the mining dependents and others under Sections 143, 147, 148, 353, 336, 427, 504, 506 (ii) read with 149 of IPC and Section 8B of National Highway Act 1956 and Section 3 of PDPA Act.

Police said that the sections have been added in the offence for forming an unlawful assembly at Kranti Circle by shouting slogans against the government and police and blocking the National Highway for six hours thereby wrongfully restraining the general public, students and vehicular traffic. 

Panjim Police said that the total estimate of the loss is approximately to the tune of Rs 5 lakh which was caused during the violence.