Were Ramponkar lathicharged to benefit Casino business?
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 13 May 2016 21:23 ISTDid government lathicharge the protesting Ramponkar to pave way for casinos to make their business?
This is what the Goenchea Ramponkarancho Ekvott firmly feels.
But even minister Alina Saldanha, wife of late Matanhy and founder of GRE, is not buying this argument.
However, casino operators admit that they have lost huge amount of business in two days – 11th and 12th May.
According to Shrinivas Nayak, director of Casino Pride casino, they lost a business of Rs 30 lakh in two days.
No casino could operate since the canoes of Ramponkar were spread all around the casino vessels in River Mandovi from 11th May morning.
Agnelo Rodrigues, president of GRE, told goanews.com that North Goa SP Kartik Kashyap ordered lathicharge while they were busy discussing with the collector to find an amicable solution to the issue.
He strongly feels that throwing a stone at the police and then resorting to lathicharge was preplanned.
Though Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar claims that police acted in order to disperse the crowd on the road, the police actually moved towards the river, warning the Ramponkar to clear the canoes from River Mandovi.
Some policemen were also seen untying the ropes of canoes and forcing the traditional fishermen to leave River Mandovi.
“Is this government working for the welfare of the fishermen and Goans or only the casino operators”, asks Rodrigues, the Ramponkars’ leader.
Minister Saldanha however was not ready to buy this argument.
“I don’t think so”, she told the media persons.