VASCO: The Goenchea Ramponcarancho Ekvott and All Goa Fishermen Union have urged likeminded legislators including the Minister for Science and Technology Alina Saldanha to raise the issue of blatant lathi charge on a peaceful demonstration carried out by fishermen in Panaji.
In a press statement, GRE president Agnelo Fernandes and the AGFU general secretary Olencio Simoes has stated that the superintendent of police Karthik Kashyap has issued the order for lathicharge on innocent fishermen who had surrendered their canoe, trawlers on May 11 to the fisheries department in Panaji due to the failure of the state government and fisheries department to impound illegal use of LED lights, bull trawling and China engines.
“The superintendent of police Kashyap had ordered arrest and lathi charge on fishermen who were demonstrating in Panaji without any valid reason”, stated GRE president Rodrigues and have called the act of Kashyap as unconstitutional and undemocratic.
The AGFU general secretary Simoes alleged that “The government looks like giving a clear impression to the people of Goa that the lathicharge on poor fishermen was to facilitate casino operations and therefore the government is trying to delay a magisterial probe by protecting Kashyap and other officers responsible for the lathicharge”.
The Home Department has issued an order, dated May 15, appointing South Goa Collector Swapnil Naik as enquiry officer to probe the magisterial enquiry on the lathicharge issue.