CUNCOLIM: Following a fatal accident at the Sanvorcotto junction, Cuncolim that claimed the life of a 27-year-old Ambaulim resident, a mob of residents from Ambaulim and surrounding areas clashed with the police who fired tear gas rounds to disperse the angry crowd.
Policemen were injured and a police jeep and the vehicle carrying fish, that crashed into the deceased, were stoned by the irate mob. The fish vehicle was also damaged and even its tyres punctured. Around 200 policemen from Margao, Maina Curtorim, Cuncolim, Quepem, Sanguem with their respective police inspectors (PIs) were present at the site while a batch of 50 odd personnel of the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) were brought in to help prevent the situation from going out of control.
What upset the people was the manner in which Cuncolim police handled the investigation where the body of the deceased and his bike were removed from the site without completing the
panchanama.
The incident took place around 2.40 pm when the deceased who was riding his motorbike on the Ambaulim to Cuncolim road collided with an oncoming fish container vehicle that was proceeding from Cuncolim towards the industrial estate. The man, Elston Fernandes, died on the spot while the driver of the vehicle Sheikh, who sustained minor injuries, ran away from the spot to avoid the crowd that immediately gathered. Sheikh was later arrested by Cuncolim police. Sources state that Fernandes, who is survived by his parents, used to work at a hotel at Betul and was well known and loved in his home village and his death triggered the angry reaction from the ensuing crowds.
Another reason that led to the angry reaction was the fact that the locals blamed Cuncolim police for placing temporary barricades on the road and that the Fernandes’ bike crashed into one such barricade.
At the accident site, the front wheel of the Yamaha motorbike was entangled in the barricade which is a sore issue among the locals who had earlier demanded their removal fearing that there could be such accidents and loss of life. Police sources said the barricades had been placed to manage traffic as a temporary measure.
The agitated mob which grew in size within half an hour were annoyed when they learnt about the shoddy panchanama and demanded that the body and the bike be brought back to the site and the panchanama be carried out as per law.
They were aggrieved that the police were lackadaisical and insensitive in carrying out their investigations and felt this would hamper the case and not bring the justice to the bereaved family.
The confrontation between the police and the mob went on for one or two hours and the mob refused to vacate the area or backing off from their demand that the body and bike be brought back to the site and that the proper panchanama be conducted in front of them.
The situation took a turn for the worse when a policeman dressed in civil clothes tried to intervene and the crowd did not take kindly to some comments passed by him and began manhandling him. While the crowd started hitting the policeman, the other police tried to break the group and rescue the injured policeman only to get pelted by stones. The police struggled to get out of the situation as the jeeps in which they tried to escort the injured policemen were also damaged by the crowd. This was at around 6.30 pm and finally rounds of tear gas were fired to try and diffuse the situation.
Cuncolim Police Inspector Ram Asare, Margao Police Inspector Sudesh Naik, Maina Curtorim Police Inspector Harish Madkaikar and Margao Deputy Superintendent of Police Mohan Naik , Cuncolim MLA Rajan Naik , South Goa additional collector and other high-ranking government officials tried to pacify the crowd and find a solution to no avail.
Remedios Rebello a relative of Fernandes has demanded immediate sacking of Asare because of his high handedness in handling the issue. Remedios said that even before the panchanama could be done the police removed the body of the deceased boy and the motorcycle from the spot. Remedios said, “Not one marking on the road, not one mention on the book has been made regarding the accident. The truck is in a no entry for zone, how can police be so insensitive towards the death of a youngster?” He added, “The chief minister should take immediate cognizance of the matter and remove Asare as he is not fit to be a PI.”
The crowd had already got out of control and the helpless police were not in a position to negotiate with the mob. Onlookers pointed out that it was difficult to rein in the crowd as there were a lot of people shouting and were in a confrontational mode, shoving the police away.
Margao Deputy Superintendent of Police Mohan Naik tried to explain that it was not possible to get the body back as it had already been dispatched to the morgue. He tried to offer a solution asking the crowd to send a delegation for a meeting on Wednesday where they could convey all their demands and be informed about the investigation and that they would carry out the investigation properly and justice would be served. The authorities also listened to grievances of the people and promised to do the needful to ensure that traffic is managed better in that area.
As there was a bypass road nearby, traffic was diverted and there was no major traffic congestion.
The situation was still very tense late night with local residents insisting on their demands and not agreeing to those of the police.
