KARSTEN MIRANDA
karsten@herald-goa.com
VELIM: On Friday, the day after Macklon Fernandes of Nagdolem, Velim lost his life in an accident in neighbouring Goemche bhat, the narrow roads behind Velim church flanked by fields saw a continuous procession of people dressed in black and white either walking to Macklon’s house or returning from it. The entire neighbourhood was there to condole the family members and share in their grief, and many were left wondering whether the actions of the Cuncolim police were inciting the peaceful community.
Joaquim Fernandes, the deceased’s father said, “The police were extremely insensitive. They should have helped save my son’s life. That is what upset us most, besides the overall handling of the situation.”
Velim parish priest Fr George Fernandes who along with the rest of Velim residents paid his condolences to the family said the entire village was saddened by the tragic loss to the family of Macklon.
On Thursday, Macklon who was chasing a person involved in a hit-and-run case was knocked down by a jeep and died. The police delayed in arriving and taking the body to the hospital, leading to a tense situation in the village that continued late into the night.
“What is the purpose of ambulances if they cannot reach the site on time? Each police station should be attached with an ambulance if they cannot rely on 108,” said a local. The boy’s father added that the police can be very proactive in investigations in certain cases, but on the day his son died the police were nowhere to be found.
Velim MLA Benjamin Silva, South Goa Superintendent of Police Shekhar Prahbudesai, Margao Deputy Superintendent of Police Mohan Naik, Additional Collector Roncon Pereira and district administration officials were present and tried to defuse the situation. However, it was the calling of additional police forces and a reserve police battalion that pushed the crowd to the limits who vowed that they would spend the entire night on the streets if necessary till their demands were met.
An exasperated Felipe Neri Rodrigues, former MLA of Velim, who held several discussions with the police on Thursday night to resolve the situation blamed the police for letting it get out of hand and being unable to grasp the people’s sentiments.
“This calls for a review of the time the police take to react to such incidents and the fact that there is no machinery to deal with man-made disasters. The police were the ones who could not take control and take decisions on the spot and took long to deliberate on what the law entails. This angered the locals as they were demanding to know what action was being taken,” Rodrigues said.
Locals, along with Rodrigues, said that their pleas with the police to try and use the natural law of justice and try to first respond to the grievances of the people present fell on deaf ears and instead of trying to curb the simmering crowd by agreeing to their demands, the police called in additional forces which to the locals were nothing but intimidating tactics.
Locals stood united and said that they would take on the police force if required but would not back down from their demands.
While the police said that additional reserve battalion had been called to prevent a law and order situation, the locals questioned if there were any such situations in their village for the last two decades, barring the church incident, which again they blame the police for provoking the people.
As the sun set on Friday evening, a sense of uneasy calm prevailed over Velim and as the bereaved family and friends of Macklon prepare to hold the funeral rites on Saturday, the anger directed at the police has yet to subside.
The people are in no mood to forgive the police and have directed their ire against the police force who they hold responsible for the death of Macklon as well the recent spate of accidents in Velim and neighbouring areas which has cost the life of their fellow brethren.
