VASCO: In a throwback to several cases filed against activists, who participated in the mammoth candle-lit vigil in Guirdolim and Chandor in November 2022, the Vasco Railway Police have registered an offence against activists Olencio Simoes, Orville Dourado, Francis Braganza and Camilo D’Souza for purportedly damaging the JCB used for railway works. The offence is also registered for allegedly assaulting the Railways workers by pelting stones. Vasco Railway Police have registered the offence under Sections 143, 147, 148, 324 and 427 read with 149 IPC and further investigation is being carried out. Activists reacted angrily to this fresh attempt to intimidate anti-double tracking activists.
They have been fighting to save Goa.
Simoes has been a member of Goencho Ekvott and one of the most prominent grassroots activists of South Goa.
Orville Dourado is the founder of Goencho Ekvott and Camilo D'Souza is a former panchayat member of Velsao-Pale-Issorcim panchayat.
The case was registered following a complaint by Railway Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) site engineer Dinesh Kumar.
According to the police version, the incident occurred on Sunday afternoon near the railway underpass bridge at Velsao Pale “where the accused along with 10 others with their common object formed an unlawful assembly carrying deadly weapons and assaulted two RVNL workers identified as Kanai Sardar and Rameshwar Sardar by pelting stones and also damaged an excavator belonging to Manisha Kambli, thereby causing a loss of Rs 45,000.
Meanwhile, activists reacted angrily to this fresh attempt to intimidate anti-double tracking activists, who are fighting to save the village and the State.
Abhijit Prabhudesai of Goa Rainbow Federation has condemned the filling of cases against the activists.
“I condemn the entire process of slavery of the government to the coal corporates. The country is clearly enslaved and neither there is democracy and freedom. People have to rise and overthrow the rule of corporates and restore democracy and freedom,” Prabhudesai said.
Condemning the filling of cases against the activists as an attempt to foil the villagers agitation, activist Xencor Polgi of Mormugao said that the government is helping the coal companies to enhance their coal transportation.
He alleged that the government and Railways are forcibly carrying out the double tracking work without acquiring the land. The State government is out to ruin the State, he said and appealed to the people to join the agitation in large numbers.
Goa Foundation Director Dr Claude Alvares too condemned the filing of criminal cases against the activists opposing the railway double tracking.
Sanjay Barde of Congress alleged that the government and Railways have now started filing false cases against activists so as to kill the villagers’ agitation. He said that the villagers of Velsao and Cansaulim have been agitating in a peaceful and democratic manner against double tracking.