MARGAO: Gawada Kunbi Velip and Dhangar Federation has filed a complaint against Ligorio Monteiro, personal assistant to Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho and others for criminal intimidation, abuse and threatening a tribal woman panchayat member.
Gakuved has filed a complaint against Ligorio Monteiro, Nilesh Naik, Navnath Naik, Manohar Naik and others for criminal intimidation, threatening and verbal abuse of elected ST woman representative Stefanie Lucas (Panchayat Member) and for violation of the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, 1989.
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The Federation’s Central Management Council (CMC) member and lawyer Adv Joao Fernandes has demanded an FIR be registered against the above-mentioned accused persons.
He has called to investigate the matter as per the provisions of law.
The Federation’s General Secretary Rupesh Velip, Adv Fernandes and Pobres Vaz, president of Mormugao Scheduled Tribes Association with other members met Police Inspector Nilesh Rane of Vasco Police Station and explained to him the entire episode.
The Federation has said that the CMC member has recently visited Stefanie’s house and condemned the incident in which the newly elected independent member of panchayat and Parish Priest Fr Bolmax Pereira were abused and threatened by the said alleged accused.
“After pursuing the complaint/representation received from the victim, the Federation is of the opinion that the accused person Ligorio and others have committed a serious crime punishable under Clauses (M), (N), (R), (U) of Sub-Section 1, Section 3 of the SC/ST, Prevention of Atrocities Act, 1989 and other Sections of IPC. The copy of the complaint has also been submitted to the Chairperson of Goa Commission for SC/ST, Panjim; Vasco Deputy Superintendent of Police, Superintendent of Police South Goa and District Collector South Goa,” said Rupesh.
“The culprits have taken advantage of Stefanie’s vulnerability as a Scheduled Tribe woman, assuming that she is a tribal, they can bulldoze what they dictate on her and they can threaten her and make her yield to pressure at the cost of her health, self-esteem, and her social well-being. The persons who indulged in these criminal acts against her were not from the Scheduled Tribe community,” alleged Gakuved.
