Dear Vascokars, It was a sad day [ Monday, 17 May, 2010] to see women protesters being treated so shabbily by the Goa Police outside the Secretariat in the Goa Legislative Assembly complex, Penha de France aka Porvorim, Goa. The Digital News service message at 6.14 P.M. read thus: "Scuffle between police & activists. Some women activists complained of manhandling. 28 arrested & bailed out.Activists still outside police station" These were activists from distant villages who had gathered at Verna at 09.30 A.M. If the experience of the activists from Colomb- Quepem [who were arrested at 10 A.M. and released from Quepem Police Station at 10 P.M. without being even given water to drink] is anything to go by, they must have been starved and thirsty by then. Who cares? Definitely not our "Aam Admi" government. It is for the 'Aam Admi'. The 'Aurat' is invisible to it. A few protesters [including Carmen de Miranda from Loutolim, Judith Rebelo fro Verna, Judith Almeida from Colva, Carmen Correia from Chicalim as per the cable TV news footage; needs to be confirmed] went up to the CM's office to get his response to the demands circulated earlier. Some of these demands sought the fulfillment of the assurances given by the CM on 04 March and 15 April, 2010 during the discussions with a delagtion of GBA and village groups, others were demands articulated by the Village Groups during subseuent consultations. From the footage it seems worse than having crashed into a brick wall ... it looked like the brick wall had collased on the protesters. It is one thing to hear about Dument Peter D'Souza, Succorina Fernandes, Rama Lavu Velip, Motes Antao being roughed up by the Police on 25 March, 2008, while protesting against the illegal cutting of trees in Govt. and Private forests to create an acess road for an allegedly illegal mine at Colomb-Quepem or to hear about Shyamsundar Pundalik Naik and his wife Sharmila being arrested form Varcha Vaddo, Advalpal in Bicholim taluka and quite another to see footage of people being similarly treated at the Goa Legislative Asembly Complex. Now the city dwellers and the coastal people will share the pain of the forgotten people of the mining belt. They have felt it themselves. The Goa Police, the Goa Administration [the entire block of IAS officers works in the Secretariat complex] and the Goa government seem to care a damn. Complaints about Police excesses are dealt by the SPCA for the Police in Goa, headed by Justice Silva ....the Silver lining in the moderation of executive powers. The GSPCA can direct the superior/controlling officer to take corrective/punitive action and ensure compliance. Women's issues are in the ambit of the Goa State Women's Commission which has quasi judicial powers like the District Collector. It can... and has in the past ... summon erring policemen before it and reprimand them.
These are not illiterate village women with no wherewithall to fight for justice, ignorant of law or without media support like the victims in the mining belt. They are not without from women's organizations like Bailancho Sad, Bailancho Ekvott, etc and from NGOs and CSOs. It is time the law enforcers had a taste of the law they are supposed to enforce, without fear or favour, and .... like human beings. Charity begins at home. Law enforcement must begin with the Home Secretary .... with his office also located in the Secretariat. The administration cannot hide behind the aprons of our entirely Male ministry ...and treat all women of Goa with the same disdain they treat the lone woman MLA ...including in the Mormugao PDA, [if the notings in the files obtained under RTI 2005 are to be believed] althoug she theoretically heads the MPDA!! Just because women form slighly less than 50% of Goa's population, they cannot be treated like an insignificant minority. I am just penning some of my personal views. [Please see disclaimer at the end of the post]. I am sure the organisations will meet tomorrow to frame their "official" responses. Mog asundi Miguel --- On Mon, 17/5/10, Miguel Braganza <[email protected]> wrote: From: Miguel Braganza <[email protected]> Subject: Village Groups of Goa demonstrators arrested? Date: Monday, 17 May, 2010, 4:00 PM At 14.55.55 hours on 17 May, 2010 "Activists from various villages marched on Secretariat protesting against Govt. commissions and omissions on various fronts..Few protestors detained" says Digital Goa SMS news service. Adds:Sebastian Rodrigues: http://mandgoa.blogspot.com/2010/05/around-40-people-from-village-groups.html Sent at 3:36 PM on Monday Monday, May 17, 2010 Around 40 people from village groups arrested in Porvorim According to the just received information around 40 people from various village groups are arrested are taken into Porvorim police station. They had gone to meet the Chief Minister regarding the regional plan and other issue including stopping of illegal mining and ban on new mining licensed. Chief Minister Digambar Kamat reportedly refused to meet up the villagers. Police team was stationed and police officer - name yet to be conformed - slapped one female protester - name yet to be confirmed. Various people from all over Goa are sent messages to come towards Porvorim Police Station by the protesters. More details are awaited. Please call up Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat urgently and question him. His office phone numbers are 2419841, 2411049. His official residence numbers are 2224170, 2224995. His Marga residence phone number is 2730432. Fax number include 2419846, 2223648. You can also speak to him at his mobile 9822129339. The final list of the demands to be submitted to Chief minister are not yet known. But it is roughly as listed in the following link: http://lists.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet-goanet.org/2010-May/193086.html ........................................................................................................................ Police were Dy. S.P. Deu Banaulekar and P.I. Devendra Gad. Woman injured is Mrs. Pereira w/o John in the assault and Mrs. Pinto w/o Edwin in the melee. Info according to Edwin Mascarenhas on phone. 20 persons with proforma arrest. 19 Released on personal bond. John Philip Pereira of Nagoa Verna so far refusing personal bond. No women Police were present. Sections under which arrests were made are not known [Possibly trespass and unlawful assembly, public nuisance, etc] One 'gentleman' is alleged to have some fetish for the part of the anatomy where poets say 'hope springs eternal' in human beings. One such complaint was filed with the DGP last year by a couple from Porvorim during his earlier stint at the same station. Another complaint has been dealt by the SPCA for the Police in Goa, headed by Justice Silva ....the Silver lining in the administration of executive powers. -- Email Disclaimer Notice: The information in this e-mail and any attachments is confidential and may be legally privileged. This e-mail is intended solely for the addressee. If you are not the intended recipient, please destroy this message and any attachments from your system immediately and notify the sender by return e-mail. Any reading, copying, unauthorized storage, disclosure or dissemination of the information contained in this e-mail or any part thereof is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. Any views and/or opinions expressed in this e-mail are strictly those of the sender and do not necessarily reflect that of Goa Bachao Abhiyan, Botanical Society of Goa or any other organization with which I am associated. 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