PANJIM: The death of Fr Bismarque Dias continues to remain a mystery to the villagers of St Estevam. Even 72 hours after his body was found in the River Mandovi, the police have not been able to establish the allegations of murder made by the family who refuse to believe that Bismarque drowned.
The three doctors who conducted the second autopsy have reserved their opinion as to the cause of death pending chemical analysis of the viscera. Their findings state there are no external antemortem injuries, but have found postmortem soft tissue destruction by aquatic creatures.
Old Goa Police said they are investigating the case and so far there is no evidence to establish the murder. “I cannot comment on anything further in this case. The case is under investigation. Statements of witnesses and others have been recorded,” Police Inspector Krishna Sinari said.
But, Bismarque’s friends and locals expected a faster pace of investigation by Old Goa Police.
According to police, Bismarque was last spotted at 10.00 pm on November 5 at a bar at Tonca and later went with two minor boys with two cases of beer to a sluice gate. Besides this, the police have not been able to add much from their investigations.
Question of from where the cases of beers came, why Bismarque went at that late hour to the sluice gate which is a 45-minute walk through rough rocky area, remain unanswered.
According to his family, the two boys didn’t inform that Bismarque was missing. It is only at 4:00 pm on Friday that family members learnt that Bismarque’s belongings were lying near the sluice gate. His sister-in-law was continuously calling him on the mobile phone and it was only when a sluice gate operator took the call and informed her that belongings were lying at the sluice gate that the family learnt of his disappearance.
Villagers say his bike was parked at a distance of two kilometers from the sluice gate but the boys did not make any attempt to check whether it was still there but took another route to reach the village.
As Old Goa police are not revealing anything, Bismark’s family members and well wishers have demanded a speedier probe in the matter.
