Team Goemkarponn
MARGAO: Allegations of brutal police assault have rocked the Margao Police Station after 29-year-old Navelim resident Edberg Pereira was hospitalised with severe brain injuries following his detention on October 22.
According to Edberg’s mother, Viola Pereira, her son was chained and beaten with a weapon by a police officer inside the Margao police station. “There was a loud sound, and suddenly everything went silent. When we tried to intervene, the officer pushed us aside. My son was lying on the floor in a pool of blood,” she recounted, fighting back tears.
Edberg, currently undergoing treatment at Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC), Bambolim, underwent an emergency brain surgery on Tuesday evening. His aunt, Lucia, said doctors confirmed that he had sustained a major injury on the left side of his brain and warned that the damage could lead to paralysis on the left side of his body.
Social activist Pratima Coutinho, who accompanied the family, condemned the police brutality. “Even if Edberg was under the influence of alcohol, no officer has the right to take the law into their own hands. He was supposed to get married soon — this assault has destroyed a young life and devastated his family,” she said, demanding immediate suspension and criminal prosecution of the officer involved.
Coutinho also urged authorities to secure CCTV footage from the police station to establish what transpired and to identify the weapon allegedly used in the assault.
Meanwhile, South Goa SP Tikam Singh, IPS, confirmed that the Police Sub-Inspector involved has been suspended, and a case for “causing hurt” has been registered. He added that further legal action would follow once the medical report is received.
However, legal experts have questioned why only a minor offence was booked despite the seriousness of the injuries, noting that suspension constitutes only a departmental measure. “The police must clarify whether a criminal case has been registered against the PSI,” said one lawyer familiar with the case.
As Edberg remains under critical care, his family continues to pray for his recovery, while public anger mounts over yet another instance of alleged custodial violence in Goa.
