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Sign the Petition requesting The Honble Minister of State for Environment
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Goa Minister incited crowd to attack police station: CBI
Panaji, April 8 - CBI has charged education minister Babush Monseratte
for making inflammatory speech that incited 500-odd crowd to launch an
assault against police personnel at Panaji police station in February
2008.
A copy of the 800-odd pages charge sheet filed by the Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI) in 2009 before the local Court was handed over to
each of the 38 accused.
CBI said even though senior police officers ensured the unruly mob to
discuss their issue 'in right spirit', their 'pleadings/requests' were
turned down. "...They (government officials) tried their best to pacify
the leader including Babush but their requests/pleadings were fallen on
deaf ears," the charge sheet read.
The investigating agency examined 192 witnesses comprising of police
officials who faced the unexpected violence, injured cops, media persons
and others.
The speeches, it termed, were inflammatory, inciting and provocative
that led to prejudicial result. The mob laden with glass bottles,
plastic water bottles, stones and other deadly weapons have also been
accused of causing grave injuries to policemen on duty and destructing
government property to the tune of rupees three-lakh, approximately.
The one-year probe revealed the nerve-racking incident led police fire
tear gas shells and eventually fire bullets in the air to control the
mayhem. The combined force brought the situation under control leading
to arrests of legislator Babush, his wife and his supporters.
Notwithstanding the arrests included people holding government
positions, the furious police thrashed them in the custody and ransacked
Babush's residence at Taleigao and Miramar. The legislator's younger son
Amit was also beaten by the police.
CBI statements of Panjim cops also accuse the minister of collecting
crowd to launch a protest march from Taleigao to Panjim police station,
at 9pm. The provoking speeches were followed by melee injuring some 41
personnel and others. Stones were also pelted on the police station and
personnel some of whom were not armed.
Enroute the mob had forced shops and other establishments to shut their
business and burnt tyres and motorbikes as a sign to show their rage
against the police.
One of the police witnesses alleged Babush threatened the police to take
action against three assailants - Paulo Imtiyaz, Mosim Tosim and Babani
Sheik - who reportedly battered Ryan Godinho.
Babush had earlier in the day visited town police station not only
demanding action against the trio assailants but also suspension of
inspector Sudesh Naik. Ryan, is Babush's associate was implicated in an
assault case was earlier detained and interrogated.
However, dissatisfied with assurances of SDPO Mohan Naik, Babush along
with the mob marched towards the police station, in the evening,
resulting in a chaotic situation.
A head constable attached to Panjim police station in his statement
recalled the series of events, chorused by other police witnesses. HC
Makrand Parsekar said at 9pm Babush gave an ultimatum of half an hour to
suspend PI Naik, 'otherwise he will take the mob inside the police
station and teach a lesson to the police'.
http://digitalgoa.com/ca_disp.php?id=1010
~(^^)~
Avelino
