PSI Stanley Gomes, your blows not only ruptured an innocent man’s eardrum, but also his career and future

Team Herald

NAVELIM: Edwin Coelho can barely hear the people speaking to him, straining one ear to hear conversation. “The back of my head and neck pains a lot. I cannot hear at all from the one ear and I’m told it will take months for that ear to function.”

The man who, the victim said, behaved like a violent beast and caused him to be in this state, and could have been much worse, is a man in uniform, PSI Stanley Gomes, suspended yes, but still free. He will still get half his salary from the taxes Goans pay. His victim, Edwin Coelho, however, has other hurdles to cross. The 25-year-old has just secured a job as a production worker in a food processing and packing company in Canada. He has spent lakhs on his immigration process and is waiting to clear his medicals before leaving for Canada to begin his new life with a salary, which in Indian currency, would take him years to get.

With his eardrum ruptured, a grievous injury, as made out in his medical reports in possession of Herald, it is doubtful whether he will be able to get a go-ahead medically on time. And since the injury will take a couple of months to heal, it can’t be said at this momentum if he will be able to be fully fit to make his international move to secure his career.

The Herald has the medical reports of the victim post his examination late at night on November 24. The report clearly states, “Tympanic Membrane perforated” (In laymen’s terms it’s a ruptured eardrum). A ruptured eardrum according to several medical journals can result in hearing loss. 

A very senior doctor in the government health care system, who checked these reports said, “It’s a serious injury.” He then messaged, “Eardrum ruptured. Grievous hurt” (Please see the copy of Edwin Colaco’s Out-Patient Record report). The senior doctors admitted that an eardrum rupture could lead to a permanent hearing loss in cases.

What led to this horrific assault on an innocent man within the Margao police station 

Edwin Colaco and his cousin Alison along with other relatives had gone to the police station late night on November 23 to “settle a minor familial dispute”. While the formalities were going on Edwin came outdoors and took a picture to be sent to relatives at home, since they wanted to know their whereabouts. He narrated what happened to him next, which corroborates with his formal complaint. 

He said, “I was taking a picture and the PSI charged out and took the phone away and dragged me to a small dark room inside the police station and started hitting me furiously.” In the complaint, he mentions, “I was not able to hear properly as the assault and attack was so hard that my ears began bleeding and my eardrums were damaged…PSI Stanley Gomes further began using abusive language and called me ‘Che…ya’ and ‘Ran..hya’ and went on kicking me as I was trying to gather conscious (sic)  (meaning  trying to remain conscious).”

Edwin went on to say that PSI Gomes asked him to remove his shirt so he could beat him with ‘dandas’ (sticks). He said that for 45 minutes he was ‘beaten thrashed and abused’.

The PSI then threw him out of the room and asked him to go out. His friends were horrified and shocked at his state and took him to hospital.

While the PSI has been merely suspended, the police seem to think that this is punishment enough. When Herald contacted the Deputy Superintendent of Police Harish Madkaikar to ask why has an FIR not been lodged, he quipped, “What does ‘why’ mean, he has been suspended. Ask the SP.”

Herald did but the SP wasn’t reachable. When he is accessible Herald would like to ask him, “If any other person had caused injuries on a person which could lead to permanent disability, would he be allowed to roam free without even being formally questioned.”