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The Ribandar molestation case in which the local Parish Priest Fr. Newton Rodrigues has been accused of allegedly molesting a 13 year old girl in the church premises has taken a bizarre twist with the Investigation officer of the case Police Inspector Mrs. Ezilda D' Souza reportedly having sought a transfer claiming that she did not have the moral courage to charge-sheet the Parish Priest. Mrs. Ezilda D' Souza who is attached to the Crime Branch, which has been investigating the case, is herself also a Roman Catholic and hails from Ribandar too. This stand of the Police Inspector has angered many who feel that if the Inspector cannot fearlessly and courageously do her duty and uphold the law, she should be ask to quit or dismissed from service for apparent gross dereliction of duty. It may be recalled that the Old Goa Police station had on 18th August 2004 registered an F.I.R against Fr. Newton Rodrigues based on a complaint from a 13 year old Ribandar girl that on the pretext of taking confession the Parish Priest Fr. Newton Rodrigues took her to a room in the church and molested her. The F.I.R against Ribandar Parish Priest Fr. Newton Rodrigues for offences under section 354 IPC (molestation) and section 8(2) of the Goa Children's Act, 2003 though registered at the Old Goa Police station was later transferred to the Crime Branch at Dona Paula for further investigation. Crime Branch Police Inspector Ezilda D' Souza had in a statement before the Panaji bench of the Bombay High Court on 16th September submitted that the investigation of the alleged molestation case was at the last stage and that the charge sheet against Fr. Newton Rodrigues was being filed shortly. A contempt of Court petition now filed against Police Inspector Mrs. Ezilda D' Souza for not having complied with this undertaking is pending before the High Court. During the course of investigation the police recorded the statements of over 14 witnesses and the Executive Engineer PWD was also asked to draw a sketch of the scene of offence. A Women's rights NGO Bailancho Exvott had also investigated the case and submitted its report to the Director General of Police. Meanwhile nothing is yet known about the outcome of the inquiry ordered by Archbishop of Goa Filipe Neri Ferrao in the matter and action if any that is being taken under the provisions of Canon law which guides the social conduct and behavior of the clergy. The molestation issue has virtually split the parishioners of Ribandar with some having tried to hush up the matter by feeling that the priest should be forgiven. However another group has been demanding that no one can be above the law and that the priest should face the Court of law as any other citizen. Many feel that the Bishop's palace should have taken prompt and deterrent action on the issue. A large section of the Ribandar parishioners have however chosen to be neutral on the issue and are presumably waiting for the outcome of the police investigation, as are other curious parishioners across Goa as this case has evoked considerable interest and has been a topic of conversation Goa wide. Aires Rodrigues Ribandar