TEAM HERALD

teamherald@herald-goa.com

PANJIM: Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar promised to resolve the issues pertaining to cases filed against the then Velim parish priest, six members of the parish committee and 1500 unknown persons for manhandling police officers in the run up to the last Assembly election within four months.

Addressing the House after the calling attention motion tabled by Velim MLA Benjamin Silva over the issue, Parrikar said though he felt that the police action was not tactically correct. During that period the Election Commission was in-charge and not the government, he opined.

“I have asked for the file. I will ask for a legal opinion on it and then decide,” he said adding that personally he felt that the case should be closed. “In next four months, the matter will be resolved. Two months will go on elections,” he said.

According to the Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, the matter had been referred to the Home department for appropriate legal advice on the issue after parishioners of St Francis Xavier Church, Velim submitted a memorandum in which they have alleged that police accompanied by income tax officers raided the official residence of the parish priest and treated him with total disrespect.

On February 25, 2012 PSI Kapil Nayak and some others dressed in plainclothes entered the church premises late night and entered the residences of the parish priest. The parishioners sent a petition to look into the matter in the interest of communal harmony and peace and to close the criminal cases registered against the parish priest Fr Gonsalves and other villagers of Velim.

After the incident, the Cuncolim police had registered a case under sections 143,144,147, 148, 149……342, 353 IPC against the parish priest, 22 known accused and 1500 unknown persons.

However, the chief minister said that the accused were not arrested as there was a possibility of law and order problem such as rasta rokho agitation or morcha at the Cuncolim police station in case any accused was arrested.