Irate crowd thrashes accused, village tense
MARGAO: Tension prevailed in Betalbatim village on Friday noon after a 15-year old SSC girl student from the village was attacked with a knife by a migrant construction labourer from Hubli.
The minor girl sustained stab injuries below her chin, besides injuries on her hand and left hand thumb. She was immediately rushed to the Hospicio hospital, from where she was shifted to the Goa Medical College and hospital, Bambolim. The accused Hassan Nagdekar (30), who came at the receiving end of an irate crowd, was also shifted to the GMC, Bambolim this evening.
Briefing newsmen, Margao sub-divisional police officer, DySP Mohan Naik said the incident occurred when the accused, who have been working for the past two years at a bungalow under construction near the house of the victim girl, accosted her at around 3 pm when she was on her way for tuition. He said the accused pulled the girl by the side, but as she resisted his attempt, the accused attacked her with a knife causing injury below her chin, cut injury on hand and cut her left hand thumb.
Local villagers came to her rescue as she raised an alarm and shouted for help. Agitated over the incident, an irate crowd mercilessly beat up the accused before he was rescued by the Colva police.
At one stage, the situation threatened to go out of control after a Police sub-inspector attached to the Colva police station clicked photographs of the crowd near the spot where the accused labourer was given a sound thrashing. Local MLA Mickky Pacheoco, who arrived at the spot, had heated arguments with PSI Manguesh, as he questioned him over his action of clicking photographs of the mob on his cell phone.
The crowd demanded justice for the minor girl and questioned the police whether they have come to protect the accused person. Local villagers also cried foul over the presence of large number of migrants and demanded to know whether the panchayat and the police have checked their antecedents.
Meanwhile, the Colva police have registered an offence of attempt to murder and offences under the Goa Children Act against the accused labourer. Further investigations are conducted by PI Nilesh Rane.
