MARGAO/VASCO: Fr Bolmax Pereira, parish priest of Chicalim Church on Saturday filed an anticipatory bail application after a case was registered against him by Vasco police under section 295 (Injuring or defiling place of worship, with intent to insult the religion of any class) and 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) of IPC, over his remarks related to Maratha warrior Shivaji Maharaj during a sermon few days back and which created tension in Vasco after his video went viral on social media.
The Additional Session Court, Margao has issued notices to the Vasco police, defence lawyer and the public prosecutor and has posted the matter for police say, reply
and arguments on the anticipatory bail application on Monday, August 7.
A case has been lodged at the Vasco police station, while complaints were also filed at other police stations as well, including Cuncolim and Canacona. Fr Bolmax had tendered an apology but had added that his statement on the 17th century king was taken ‘out of context and misinterpreted’.
A video of the priest
went viral on social media wherein he said that “Chhatrapati Shivaji cannot be considered as a God”.
Several right-wing organisations including Bajrang Dal condemned his remark.
Reacting to the developments, Mormugao MLA Sankalp Amonkar has appealed to the people to maintain peace and age-old religious amity in the State. He said that Fr Bolmax had already apologised over his statement on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and a FIR has also been lodged where law will take its own course. But such communal tensions were unwanted and we must all live together in peace and communal harmony. “I have full faith that the government will not allow the communal tensions to escalate and all the issue will be resolved,” he said.
Meanwhile, thousands of parishioners and well wishers spent their Friday night in the Church compound expressing their solidarity to the priest and praying for peace.
