MARGAO: Curtorim villagers on Sunday took to the streets to condemn the June 24 attack on local residents by a group of outsiders and demanded strict police action against the accused, even as Fisheries Minister Avertano Furtado and Curtorim MLA Reginaldo Lourenco vowed that they would not support goons unleashing terror in the village.
The villagers demanded that the police invoke serious offences which will not entitle the accused persons to claim bail. They impressed upon both the Fisheries Minister and the Curtorim MLA to take up the issue with the Maina-Curtorim police to ensure that the accused do not go Scot free. While demanding the immediate arrest of all the accused involved in the attack, the villagers warned that they will be forced to take action if the police succumbs to pressure.
In his address, the Fisheries Minister clarified that though he knows two of the arrested accused persons, he would not support the goons. “We have to teach such goons a lesson. Today, they have attack the residents of Curtorim, tomorrow someone else may become their target,” Avertano said, while assuring the villagers that he would request the Maina Curtorim Police to take the matter seriously and take steps which would deny the accused the bail.
The Curtorim MLA assured the villagers that he would stand by them and ensure that the assailants are put behind bars. “We will not tolerate any goondagiri by any outsiders in our village. We will take action. I will not absolve my duty on this issue, but I will take it as a challenge and see that the police take the accused to task,” he said, while promising the villagers that he and Avertano would demand strict action against the accused.
