Claude-Gawas seek Guv intrervention to provide security to environmental activists
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 11 March 2013 20:42 IST
Dr Claude Alvares and Ramesh Gawas, fighting illegal mining, met Governor Bharat Vir Wanchoo today evening, fearing threat to personal security of several environmentalists working in the field of saving Goa from illegal mining.
Both the activists have jointly demanded that an inquiry be ordered by the Governor into the attack on RTI activists in Margao by the mining-dependent people.
The demand has been made to the governor as the chief minister has expressed his helplessness at a possible deterioration of the law and order situation and has publicly stated that he may not be able to guarantee the personal safety of some of the activists involved.
“We feel it futile at this stage to lodge any complaint about this matter at the office of the Home Secretary”, stated their memorandum.
Besides quoting the Margao incident where RTI activists were” hackled and threatened by recruiting to bring large number of persons to the venue”, both Alvares and Gawas also reminded the Governor a similar incident few months ago where around 30 journalists were besieged for several hours at Rivona.
They also questioned the dubious role of police in Margao by not registering FIR since no complaint was filed even though all calls made to 108 are considered as registered complaints.
“In this case, all the individuals who were leading the assault on civil liberties are known to the police and their pictures are in public domain in the news report”, they observed.
The activist duo also asked whether they should now presume that police will no longer be registering crimes of personal assault if no complaints are made and also will the police not take cognizance of a murder if no complaint has been lodged.
