Team Herald
MARGAO: The group ‘Concerned Citizens of Goa’ (CCG) condemned the act of the district administration for denying them permission to hold a peaceful protest and reiterated their demand for the immediate release of detained human rights activists Teesta Setalvad, retired IPS officer RB Sreekumar and Alt News Journalist Mohammed Zubair.
While addressing mediapersons on Saturday, the CCG referred to how the Salcete Deputy Collector had not allowed them to hold protest opposite the District Collectorate building as there was no NOC from the Fatorda Police and Traffic Cell Margao.
While Fatorda Police rejected the request of the group considering the rise in COVID-19 positive cases and potential law and order situation, the Margao Traffic Cell raised ‘strong objections from the traffic point of view’.
“What are these double standards? Where is the notification by the Disaster Management Authority (DMA) regarding COVID-related precautions? There is no Section 144 CrPC in force. The State government is allowing schools to function, it allowed the Jagannath rally but it is arbitrarily denying permissions for a peaceful protest,” said Albertina Almeida, co-convenor of Citizens’ Initiatives for Communal Harmony.
She further questioned on what basis the police could say there could be a breach of law and order when they had stated clearly that their protest would be a peaceful one and they would just be holding placards.
The CCG also slammed the action of government agencies of detaining activists who are being the voice of the voiceless and keeping them behind bars for a lengthy period.
