Team Herald
MARGAO/PANJIM: There was massive public outrage activists against the filing of charge sheets against those who protested against former RSS Goa chief Subhash Velingkar’s derogatory remarks on St Francis Xavier. People termed this as “an attempt to silence and suppress the voice of public”.
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“Contrary to what should have been done, the Chief Minister, who also holds the position of Home Minister, has failed to intervene and drop the cases against the protesters. The fact that charges have been filed only highlights the true intentions of this government. One thing the authorities seem to overlook is that these protestors took to the streets in response to the offensive statements made by Subhash Velingkar against Saint Francis Xavier. This marks a troubling new approach by the government, where it seeks to suppress social activism and public dissent by filing cases and chargesheets,” said Xavier Fernandes, social activist.
Social activist Abhijit Prabhudesai said, “It is deeply shocking to witness that criminals in Goa are roaming freely while ordinary citizens and social activists are being harassed by the police under the directions of the government. Filing charges against those who protested is nothing more than an attempt to silence the voice of the people. In reality, Goa is being governed by criminals. The ministers, some of whom are allegedly involved in criminal activities, are instructing the police to target innocent people who are merely exercising their right to protest.”
Senior Advocate Cleofato Almeida Coutinho said, “Such chargesheets go nowhere. They are used to keep people on the leash. Has Velingkar been chargesheeted also? Police investigation is losing credibility as the force is used to keep the opposition forces at bay.”
Jack Mascarenhas, President of Goyche Fudle Pilge Khatir (GFPK), an NGO, said, “The police have moved swiftly against these protestors, while countless other high-profile cases languish in the system, which reveals a disturbing priority of suppressing dissent rather than addressing the root causes of unrest. Subhash Velingkar’s inflammatory remarks created a climate of fear and division, and the people responded. Instead of addressing the hate speech that fuelled the protests, the authorities seem more concerned with punishing those who dared to speak out.”
Meanwhile, former minister Mickky Pacheco claimed that the cases and chargesheet filed against him were the result of vindictive politics and misuse of government machinery.
Addressing a press conference in Panjim, he said “I was not at the protest, but it has been claimed that I was responsible for blocking the highway and rioting. However, the fact is that I was there for hardly two minutes. I had gone alone,” he said.
