-- Samir Umarye
BICHOLIM, MARCH 22 Clashes between two groups near Karapur-Sanquelim on Sunday night left one person injured, with miscreants setting ablaze five kiosks at the KTC bus stand in Sanquelim. The incident sparked off angry protests from residents of Sanquelim and they blocked the main road near the Sanquelim PHC on Monday morning. Bicholim police later arrested seven persons from Kudnem-Sanquelim in connection with the assault on a man. According to reports, trouble began on Sunday at about 11 pm, following an altercation between a seven-member group from Kudnem and one Siddesh Kanekar from Sanquelim, who was injured in the incident. Later at night, two shops and three kiosks from the KTC bus stand Sanquelim were burnt by some culprits. The shops belonging to Anil Kanekar, Rajendra Gawandi, Shekh Yasin, Chotelal Nisar and Niyaz Shekh were gutted in the fire. As the news spread in the city, people from Sanquelim resorted to road blockade near PHC Sanquelim on Monday at 10.30 am. The mob demanded immediate arrest of the seven members, who they suspected being involved in the burning of shops. People were led by Sanquelim Municipal Council Chairman Sunita Verekar, who strongly demanded that the culprits be arrested, immediately. The road blockade agitation paralysed traffic from Bicholim to Valpoi and Ponda for about three hours. However, the agitators called off their strike when Bicholim PI Harish Madkaikar assured them that the accused would be arrested by Monday evening. In the evening, police arrested Prasad Parab, Vithu Malik, Suraj Igvekar, Gopi Malik, Vishram Malik, Viraj Malki and Satyaprakash Parab under Sections 143, 147, 148, 323, 427, 506 r/w 49 IPC. Bicholim Head Constable Atmaram Gawas is investigating the case under the supervision of PSI Terence Vaz.
