Team Goemkarponn
SIOLIM: Following the violence at Anjua-Caisua Gram Sabha and the subsequent filing of FIRs, the Siolim MLA has spoken exclusively to Goemkarponn and said that she does not support any kind of violence.
Speaking to Goemkarponn first time after the incident, MLA Delilah Lobo’s reaction was that she does not support violence.
“If the assault has happened on Dr Inacio it is sad. Nobody has the right to take the law into their own hands. I do not support such people and I have told them directly that such things would not be tolerated,” Lobo said. Having said this, she added, there is an extortion racket underway at Anjuna in the name of activism.
“Now talking about Dr Inacio, does he have any right to enter any restaurant at 7 pm and stop customers from entering? The sound restrictions are from 10 pm, so why does he have to go to every restaurant and stop customers from entering at 7 pm? This seems to be much more than activism. There is an extortion racket underway,” she said.
The MLA said she has asked the police to take strict action against those guilty.
“I will not interfere in the matter and let police take action but I will tell you one thing people are upset that their businesses are being hurt due to such activism,” she said.
Delilah says that first of all the economy is down due to the mining ban and now even tourism is being hurt due to such things.
An attack on a member of the Anjuna-Caisua panchayat’s gram sabha on Sunday resulted from a firm stance against the loud music played in the coastal village.
Police had to step in to bring the situation under control after the brawl broke out over a contentious discussion on the effects of large-scale music events on the hamlet. After that, the conference was adjourned and rescheduled for December 15.
The attacker filed a counter-complaint when the battered gram sabha member filed a police complaint against him.
The incident happened on Sunday during the Anjuna-Caisua panchayat’s regular gram sabha meeting, which was chaired by Sarpanch Laxmidas Chimulkar and attended by the members and secretary of the panchayat.
When some members questioned Dr Inacio Fernandes’ eligibility—he was present as a gram sabha member—because he was not on the electoral record as necessary, tensions erupted early in the meeting. However, Dr Fernandes claimed to have a voter card.
The block development office’s observer’s absence from the meeting was another point of contention.
The previous meeting, which was supposed to take place in September, was postponed without really happening. In response, the sarpanch assured members that an ordinary meeting would be convened on December 15, and the meeting proceeded.
