MARGAO: In a decision aimed at winning back the sentiments
of minority dominated Velim, the State Government on Tuesday withdrew its
revision application before the District & Sessions court in the Velim
church attack case, against the order of
the Judicial Magistrate First Class, Margao Ram Prabhudesai , who had dropped
the two sections of attempt to murder and causing grievous hurt to the injured
policemen and rejected the plea of the prosecution to commit the case to the
court of Sessions for trial. The case is being remanded back to the Judicial
Magistrate First Class.
What is the case: On February 26, 2012, on the eve of the
last Assembly elections, Velim village saw an incident which no other village
had ever witnessed. Special branch officers PSI Kapil Nayak along with head
constables Krishnanand Rane and Kuldeep Desai visited the Velim priest around
9.30 pm on Saturday and allegedly intimidated the locals that led to tension.
The situation ended up in 5 policemen being injured of which two of them seriously,
after being allegedly attacked by locals of Velim. The progress of the case
will now pass through the test of people.
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What the cops said about the case: The Police on Feb 28,
2012 in their version explained the Saturday night incident at Velim Church in
south Goa, in which five police personnel were injured in a mob fury. The local
parish priest and some others were booked on Sunday (Feb 27) on charges of
assault and attempt to murder police personnel.
The Special Branch of Goa police said: Resentment among
villagers following an I-T raid and the visit of a flying squad at the church
quarters allotted to Fr. Romano Gonsalves. Some villagers had even given a
boycott call of the assembly elections.
Among other charges, the accused were also charged with
attempt to murder and causing grievous hurt to public servants while they were
discharging official duty under Sections 307 and 333. Adding of these two
sections was resented.
After arguments before the JMFC, the two contentious charges
were dropped and the case was to proceed with regards to 14 other sections.
Surprisingly, while the then government said that they would be dropping the
charges, it filed a revision application against the JMFC order dropping the
two charges.
However, when it was pointed out that instead of dropping
the charges, the government had filed a revision application, TCP minister
Vijai Sardessai had assured that the charges would be dropped and accordingly
the Public Prosecutor moved an application on Tuesday withdrawing the revision
application.
The case is now remanded back to JMFC which will decide upon
the remaining 14 sections mainly pertaining to unlawful assembly, rioting,
obstructing public servant from discharge of duties, causing hurt with
dangerous weapons and wrongful restraint.
