It is shocking to learn about the violent and brutal attack inside the Sada Subjail on green activist Ravindra Velip. This shows that in Goa, people are safe not even inside the prisons. Is Goa becoming a mafia-operated State, like how Bihar was some decades ago? The attack on Ravindra Velip raises certain questions:
1. Is the attack carried out at the behest of some mining barons, who were annoyed with Velip as he was an impediment to their illegal nature of business?
2. Is it true, that some ruling party MLA has also supported in carrying out this attack? Activists have claimed the involvement of a mining business related MLA, as per the report in Herald. This cannot be denied fully, as we have heard how MLAs from mining belt speak in Assembly, with a lot of hatred towards selfless mining activists.
3. Will the government carry out an impartial and thorough inquiry, and bring the guilty to the book? An independent Judiciary-monitored inquiry would be better. Or the Govt. should appoint a one-man Commission of a Retired High Court Judge, to investigate the matter.
4. Will the Government provide police protection to activists? Before this too, Adv. Aires had been attacked once. Activist Nilesh Gaonkar was also assaulted once.
5. Are Government’s prisons places where no law and order exists? An MLA was assaulted in prison once, some foreign national under trials were assaulted in Colvale Central Jail, and now Mr. Velip has been brutally beaten up. What is the Inspectorate General of Prisons and the Home Department (headed by CM himself) doing?
Goa has been saved. Thanks to these activists like Claude Alvares, Rajendra Kerkar, Ramesh Gawas, Ravindra Velip, Late Fr Bismark, etc. Or else, our netas and some of our own greedy Goans would have auctioned the whole of Goa long ago. Let us pray for recovery of Ravindra Velip, and pressure the Govt. to initiate an impartial probe.
