Team Herald
MARGAO: People from across the State converged at Lohia Maidan, Margao, on Saturday for the first in a series of public meetings organized by ‘Citizen’s of Goa’ to demand justice for Fr Bismarque Dias.
Keeping up the legacy of Fr Bismarque, the meeting started with a musical performance urging the people to stay united and fight the forces that were trying to destroy Goa.
In her speech, activist Swati Kerkar hit out at detractors who alleged that the protestors were using Fr Bismarque’s death for political mileage. She reiterated that their fight was apolitical and the people had come forward only to ensure justice was delivered to Fr Bismarque and his message was carried forward.
What came through from the many speeches by people who had had fought alongside Fr Bismarque in various forms of protest, was that Fr Bismarque stood for many issues, and the only common thread was to save Goa. Speaker after speaker condemned the shoddy manner in which the State government had carried out investigations into Fr Bismarque’s death and how it had not yet registered the case as a murder.
Historian Prajal Sakhardande compared Fr Bismarque to St Francis of Assisi due to their love for the environment and called upon Goan producers to make a musical film on Fr Bismarque for posterity.
While the speakers elucidated public sentiment and activist Kennedy Afonso’s explanation on the shoddy police investigation left everyone aghast, it was Fr Bismarque’s family who struck a chord with the people when they spoke about their loss and demanded justice into his “murder”. They also alleged that “land grabbers” were behind Fr Bismarque’s death and pointed out how the regional plan was opened soon after.
Dr Francisco Colaco perfectly summed up the public sentiment by stating, “United we stand; don’t let his death go in vain”, while Madhu Gaonkar and ecologist Mahadav Gadgil dedicated a poem in Marathi to Fr Bismarque. Amidst calls for independent investigations, Iftiyaz Sheikh spoke about how the police had still not managed to prove how Fr Bismarque had died.
On the backdrop of the birthday celebrations of former Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, Prakash Bandodkar of the Pilerne Citizens Forum compared Parrikar and his predecessor Digambar Kamat to thieves and criticised the government’s plan to appease the builder lobby via the Regional Plan.
At the end of the three-and-a-half hour meeting, United Goans Foundation (UGF) secretary Avinash Tavares read out a six-point resolution that was unanimously adopted by the people, following which there was a candlelight protest.
When the meeting began, the crowd observed a minute silence in honour of Fr Bismarque and left the meeting after the candlelight rally with a vow to continue to fight for Bismarque. The next meeting will be held in Vasco.
