Humanity finally prevailed today over gross injustice, hurt and humiliation caused to many peace loving people of Velim, including priests – simple shepherds of their flock – and locals, charged with attempt to murder and causing hurt to government servants. And what was their crime? They rushed to the aid of their parish priest against whom I-T raids were conducted before the 2012 Assembly elections, and took to the streets to protest against the high-handed police action.
The people of Velim and specially the 22 accused – were shocked beyond belief when the state government appealed against the order of the Judicial Magistrate First Class, Margao Ram Prabhudesai, who had dropped the two sections of attempt to murder and causing grievous hurt to the injured policemen against 22 Velim locals.
Fr Romano Gonsalves, the then Velim priest was also chargesheeted along with the then Assolna parish priest and current South Goa Episcopal Vicar Fr Lucio Dias.
The decision today to withdraw the appeal will clear the way for the stigma of the serious charges of attempt to murder and causing grievous hurt to government officials, to be removed from the priests and locals. For these simple folk, the removal of a grossly unfair blot on their reputations is probably more significant than anything else in their lives. And that makes the decision politically significant too.
For the Goa Forward, this decision earns them, and justifiably, the right to claim credit. The party had made the withdrawal of charges against priests and locals the leitmotif of their election campaign. While it lost the Velim seat, the only one they lost, of the four they contested, it pitch-forked itself into the government, giving it an opportunity to make good its Velim promise. For Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, whose BJP and supported candidates were actually routed in Salcette, in the elections, the decision could help give it a foot in the door, in the area or at least in the constituency, though the Goa Forward will leave no stone unturned to project its “Velim case victory” .
But Herald, which has fought pro-people battle in the Velim case, notes that there are lessons to be learnt beyond politics. No government should wrongly and unjustly cause so much pain to people who are clearly innocent and incapable of committing the crimes they have been accused of.
It is in the fitness of things to draw the attention of readers to our Edit (one of several on the Velim case) on August 25, 2015, and reproduce an excerpt, which remains relevant even today:
“Three years ago, they ran to their Church to protect their Priest. For that ‘crime’, the God fearing people of Velim walked to court like common criminals on Monday, with heavy hearts, disjointed lives and uncertain futures.
These are men of faith. They are peace loving and simple folk who work hard for their living. As they sat along with a high ranking priest, the South Goa Episcopal Vicar Fr Lucio Dias, in court the heaviness in their hearts resonated among all in the premises. The world knows that many of them have been wrongly accused for the “attack” on Velim Church and are facing various charges of offences like unlawful assembly, attempt to murder and other various charges.
Most of those who were present in Court, are fellow sufferers whose livelihoods have been affected by this case. Some of them were not even present on the Church premises on February 25, 2012 when villagers rushed to the Church and got to know that tax raids were conducted on their priest. And when a priest is insulted, a man who doesn’t harm a fly can make his walking stick a weapon to counter attack. But many didn’t even do that. And that is the tragedy of the people of Velim.”
Goa hopes that the sordid chapter of injustices on the people of Velim has come to a much needed end.
