Team Herald
PANJIM: The State woke to a rude shock as the partially decomposed body of the fiery activist priest Fr Bismark Dias was found in the River Mandovi early Saturday morning. His mysterious disappearance on Thursday evening and the revelation of his death has created a tense situation, particularly in his village of St Estevam.
St Estevam residents found his body entangled in mangroves in the waters near a sluice gate. The autopsy report has revealed his death was caused by drowning.
Angry locals have demanded a CBI probe, claiming that he could have been killed as he was at loggerheads with the government over several issues, like the Special Economic Zone, Regional Plan and the proposed Mopa airport, among other controversial projects. So have senior activists including his comrades like Sudeep Dalvi, of Musical Warriors, a group of musicians who spearheaded musical protests against several of these controversial anti people projects
They refused to accept the police’s contention that Fr Dias drowned, even as the Old Goa police have registered a case of unnatural death.“We have lost our son and a warrior who fought for the rights of the people, environment and society,” said a villager, while the body was being taken to Goa Medical College, Bambolim for an autopsy.
Fr Bismark was last seen at a bandh near the sluice gate on Thursday evening. He was allegedly accompanied by two young boys. The police said that they interrogated a number of persons on Friday night to trace his whereabouts, but got no lead. On Friday morning, the victim’s relative filed a missing persons complaint at the Old Goa police station.
His mobile phone, motorbike, wallet, sandals and other belongings were found at the spot where he was last seen on Thursday.
Meanwhile, commenting on the autopsy, North Goa SP Umesh Gaonkar stated, “The report said that death was caused by asphyzxia (suffocation) due to drowning. Some marks were also found on his body, which the report has stated is by aquatic creatures.”
The viscera will be sent to CFSL, Hyderabad for analysis.
On Saturday evening, a huge crowd marched to the police station to demand a fair probe into Fr Bismark’s death. Sources said the people had also confronted Police Inspector Krishna Sinhari over the slow pace of investigation.
