MARGAO: Even as the activists who have cases filed against them said that they will not get deterred, citizens have questioned the filing of charge sheets against these activists as a way to silence them.
The ten activists have been charged by the Maina-Curtorim Police for unlawful assembly and wrongful restraint during the famous anti-coal Chandor protests against double tracking on Nov 1, 2020.
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The Railway Police has also filed a case against four of these ten activists for their actions in the protests against the double-tracking project.
Abhijit Pradhudesai, who has been named in the charge sheet filed by the Railway Police and Maina-Curtorim Police, has accused the authorities of wanting to stifle the voice of the opposition – the people fighting on the ground against double tracking and other protests.
“The charge sheet copy reveals that this is a frivolous case which is totally defeated by the Collector’s order attached to itself. The case is filed only to harass environment lovers and to stifle all voices of reason. The government wants no questions to be asked regarding these projects that they cannot justify,” said Prabhudesai.
Royla Fernandes, who has been charge-sheeted by the Maina-Curtorim Police said this is a loud attempt to stop Goans from voicing against these destructive projects.
“There is also a clear attempt to prevent us from getting together as Goans and stop the future plans of the government. I appeal to Goans to keep a check on the wrongdoings of the Govt, if we don’t then it’s our generations that shall whither,” she added.
Chandor resident and member of the NGO Ganv Bhavancho Ekvott (GBE), Felix Furtado, who was part of the historic agitation that has seen FIRs filed against his fellow activists, questioned the timing of the charge sheet given that people of Goa are presently agitating against the government on various issues.
