35 days after Goa lost his warrior son, Father Bismarque, one of the principal tools of deception used to pass off his death as alcohol triggered drowning, lies exposed and blunt. If Father Bismaque, as most who knew him closely believed with certainty, did not have enough alcohol in his system to cause him to lose control and drown, then the chances of other reasons having caused his drowning, or death and then drowning become substantially higher.
While the chances of Father Bismarque failing to negotiate the waters of the manos at St Estevam, even when not fully in control, was bleak, it is near impossible that he, an excellent swimmer, would lose control and drown in the very waters where he swam all his life, when he was perfectly alright. There is no evidence so far to suggest a sudden turn in the tide or a strong undercurrent to pull him down.
The viscera report has ruled out any traces of alcohol or poison which further strengthens the possibilities of external force being used. The diatom test to indicate whether the deceased was dead before entering the waters around which his body was found or if he died after entering it will indeed bring us closer to the truth.
The truth though, can only be sealed, once the DNA test reports to match determine whether vest with the blood stains found on the road through which the two young boys- the prime witnesses, went away on the morning after- belonged to Father Bismarque. A man who goes for a swim wouldn’t have a blood stained vest lying a 100 meters away from where his other clothes were found, in a different direction.
As the SP of the Crime Branch Mr Karthik Kashyap has said, the DNA test and the lie detector test on the two boys will be near conclusive. The last mile of the investigation will have to be traversed through a maze of statements, cross examinations and interrogations, which we believe the Crime Branch has conducted.
As always, neither the investigating agency nor those who are fighting for the justice for Father Bismarque should ever lose sight of those who would have gained the most with Father Bismarque out of the way. Each of them, across Goa need to be watched and zeroed in and then if found clear, removed from the line of suspicion. However it is vital to bring them under the ambit of investigation and inquiry, if they haven’t already been.
The fight for Justice for Father Bismarque is not just for him. It is for every fighter Goa has produced and will produce- the last remaining souls – who have pledged to serve Goa above self.
Goa is getting polarised between powerful lobbies, often from outside Goa who rule the government and influence laws and ordinances, (like the latest one on allowing construction in eco-sensitive zones in the garb of eco-tourism), and those who stand in town and country against the barrage of faulty development. It is for the latter for whom we need to fight because without them there will be neither town nor country in Goa. Thus there will be nothing left to plan, only to destroy.
If justice is not given to Father Bismarque, we will be signing Goa’s death warrant with our own hands.
