TEAM HERALD
bureau@herald-goa.com
VASCO: Adopting a carrot-and-stick approach to pressurise the police to nab the culprit in the sexual assault of the 7-year-old schoolgirl, former minister Jose Philip D’Souza has assured to give an award of Rs 1 lakh to the police if the culprit is nabbed before January 29.
If the police fail to catch the culprit by the deadline, D’Souza has threatened to hold a Vasco Bandh on January 29.
Addressing a public meeting on Thursday evening, speakers supporting the ‘Mormugao Taluka Action Committee’ criticised the failure of the government to arrest the culprit.
Strongly condemning the attack on the schoolgirl, Fatorda MLA Vijay Sardessai criticised the Crime Branch and the local police for failing to arrest the culprit till day and asked the government to hand over the case to the CBI.
“Not only Vasco, but the entire Goa should participate in the Bandh. The Parrikar government has failed to provide good governance and this was the platform on which his government got elected,” said Sardessai.
“Parrikar only gives assurances, but has, till date, failed to implement them,” said the Fatorda legislator and assured to raise the sexual assault case in the forthcoming assembly session.
Commenting on the Mopa airport, Sardessai blamed Jose Philip D’Souza for de-notifying the parking space at the airport and for keeping silent on the Mopa issue during his tenure.
“If the BJP government shifts the airport to Mopa, tourism activity, which is the backbone of Goa’s economy, will shift to the neighbouring state,” Sardessai added.
In his address, D’Souza clarified that the Mormugao Taluka Action Committee did not have any political affiliation and he said he had taken up the case as an ordinary citizen and not as a politician.
“We are here only to demand justice to the child and her family. Although ten days have passed since the incident, the police have failed to arrest the culprit. If the culprit is not arrested, there is every chance that he could commit a similar crime against other children in some other school,” said D’Souza.
“If the police can arrest the culprit before January 29, I will collect Rs 1 lakh and will hand it over to the police as a reward. However, if the police fail to arrest before January 29, I will hold a Vasco Bandh on that day,’ D’Souza added.
D’Souza also stated that Sardessai would also call for a bandh in Fatorda constituency on January 29 and urged others to also participate in the Bandh in other parts of the State.
Other speakers at the meeting included Adv Aries Rodrigues, Trajan De Mello Adv Avinash Bhosle, Mormugao Taluka Action Committee President Gopal Chodankar and Sandeep Shetye.
