Team Herald
PANJIM: The Goa Human Rights Commission (GHRC) disposed off a complaint filed by RTI activist Rajan Ghate against the Valpoi Police for assaulting Shel-Melauli villagers who were protesting against the proposed IIT project in the village.
The Commission found that the complainant had failed to make out any violation of human rights of the villagers of Shel-Melauli arising out of the protest against the IIT campus project at Shel-Melauli.
On January 12, 2021, Ghate had filed a complaint before the Commission complaining of violation of human rights of the Shel-Melauli villagers, who were protesting against the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) campus project.
After receiving the complaint, the Commission issued notices to the three respondents i.e North Goa SP, Valpoi PI Sagar Ekoskar and the Sattari Deputy Collector asking them to submit their replies.
Accordingly, PI Ekoskar filed his reply on October 6, 2021 but the complainant remained absent even after giving him last opportunity on April 11, 2022. The complainant also remained absent on the day of hearing.
The Commission Head Adv K L Bhagat for the respondents and who submitted that the IIT campus project had already been shifted out of Shel-Melauli. The Commission also found from the reply of the Valpoi Police that on January 6, 2021, the protest against the proposed IIT campus project at Shel-Melauli had taken a violent turn as police made use of lathicharge against the villagers who had set up a human chain at the entrance of the site.
However, PI Ekoskar denied that he had stepped on the chest of protesting senior citizens including women and beat the protestors. He also stated that there was no malafide intention of the police and violation of human rights from the police in the above incident.
The three-member Commission comprising Chairman Justice U V Bakre and Members Desmond D’Costa and Pramod Kamat, both retired judges after going through the complaint and the reply of PI Ekoskar and considering the submissions of Adv Bhagat on behalf of the respondents, found that the complainant had failed to make out any violation of human rights of the villagers of Shel-Melauli arising out of the protest against the IIT campus project at Shel-Melauli. Accordingly, the proceedings stand disposed of, it said.
