TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: Expressing their displeasure over IT officials and Election Commission’s unwarranted raid on a Parish Priest at Velim, Congress party Thursday feared that such action might lead to communal tension in the state.
Addressing media persons, Congress MP Shantaram Naik and said that over-enthusiasm on the part of IT officials and flying squad could lead to communal tension, in the run up of state assembly elections.
“Inquiry needs to be conducted to trace the unknown caller and to dig out the actual force (person) behind this entire act,” Naik suggested adding “some forces are been developed to create communal tension in the state.”
Naik said that he has already made a letter to Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, informing about the act, which might lead to communal problem on Election Day, March 3.
“IT department’s raid was rash and it violates the IT law and code of conduct,” Naik said.
The official residence of Fr Romano Gonsalves, a parish priest of St Francis Xavier Church, Velim, was searched by IT sleuths accompanied by EC’s flying squad, on Monday. Total Rs 6000 were seized and the matter is currently under investigation.
Naik said that Income Tax officials should verify the information before conducting the raids. “Just because they are deployed with the EC, they should not forget the Income Tax act,” he said adding “IT officials need to work under their own law as prescribed. As per the act proper assessment needs to be done before conducting a raid.”
Naik said that Congress Party will be formally writing to EC demanding that it should be cautious while conducting raids on religious places.
Later, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) working president Francisco Sardinha termed the entire episode as unfortunate. “According to the newspaper report, only Rs 6,000 and chocolates were found during the raid,” he stated.
Sardinha claimed that EC officials asked irrelevant questions to the priest. “EC wanted to know what priest does with the money which was collected in the Church. This is irrelevant question that they asked,” he said adding “I hope in future such incidents are not repeated which hurts the religious sentiments.”
