COLVA/MARGAO: Following a chargesheet filed against them by the Railway Police Force (RPF), Vasco, environment activists, Abhijit Prabhu Dessai, Diana Tavares, Freddy Travasso and Vikas Bhagat on Saturday attended the court of the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) as per the summons. Apart from the four activists who attended the court, the chargesheet has also named one Rocky who is yet to be traced.
The accused have been charged under Section 146, 147 and 174(a) of the The Railways Act, 1989.
The case against the accused is that on the night of November 1, 2020, more than 200 persons assembled at a spot between Chandor and Margao railway stations and squatted on the tracks with candle lights opposing the double tracking project of the South Western Railway. The protesters dispersed from the site only the next day at 5.15 am due to which trains had to be detained at Vasco, Sanvordem and Kulem railway stations.
JMFC Ankita Nagvenkar took up the case on Saturday, during which the Railway officer Shankar Naik informed the court that public prosecutor was unable to attend the hearing. All the four accused were furnished with a copy of the complaint. JMFC asked all the accused to furnish a personal bond of Rs 10,000 and adjourned the matter for June 16 for substance of accusation.
In a show of solidarity with the protestors facing the chargesheet, 30 to 40 supporters of the agitation along with Congress’ Cuncolim MLA Yuri Alemao and AAP’s Velim MLA Cruz Silva gathered outside the court, and vowed to carry on their battle against the three linear projects.
Speaking to reporters, advocate Stanley Om Rodrigues representing one of the accused, said that out of thousands of protestors who had participated in the agitation at Chandor, only five have been made the accused.
“Among those present for the protests on November 1, 2020, included a former chief minister, the then leader of Opposition, MLAs, activists who have now become MLAs, but none have been booked. This is selective targeting of my clients who happen to be the environment warriors, and are a hindrance to government plans of bringing in projects detrimental to the environment,” Rodrigues said.
Pointing out that the protests were against the three linear projects, the matter pertaining to which was being heard by the Supreme Court, Rodrigues said that while the recommendations given by the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) on the Tamnar project were accepted by the court, he hoped for justice in the other two projects as well.
“We are now getting justice from the apex court; however, on the ground, poor activists have to face the brunt, even as the big fish are not brought before the law,” Rodrigues said.
Abhijit Prabhu Desai said their battle was for the cause of the environment and for future generations and that they wouldn’t be cowed down by such criminal cases. While Alemao said that the people will continue to oppose the three linear projects and that the Congress party was with the people, Silva reiterated his as well as his party’s (AAP) support to the people’s agitation against the projects.
