Aldona MLA Adv Carlos Alvares Ferreira on Wednesday alleged that the state government was “afraid of the people” and said that attempts to intimidate citizens would not succeed.
“The government is today afraid of the voice of the people. At the time there was a hunger strike and protest demanding the scrapping of section 39A, the government asked us to withdraw the strike and discuss the issue in the assembly. When the assembly session was on, they called it off saying that the Ponda bye-election has been announced. Then they cancelled the bye-election and now, they’ve moved an ordinance and to postpone the municipal elections,” Adv Ferreira said.
He was speaking to reporters outside the Panjim Police Station, where he had been summoned along with others in connection with an FIR registered against him for “unlawful assembly” during a protest linked to Section 39A outside Health Minister Vishwajit Rane’s residence.
Adv Ferreira maintained that the FIR lacked merit and should be quashed.
“An FIR has been filed against us for obstruction of traffic and unlawful assembly. Actually these sections do not apply. Obstruction of traffic is not a cognisable offence nor was our gathering an unlawful assembly. We didn’t go there with sticks nor weapons. We only went there to visit the minister and he was not at home. He didn’t go in, nor did we break anything nor hit anyone. So according to me even unlawful assembly is not applicable,” he said.
Calling the case untenable, he added, “This is a fit case of quashing. If there is no intention to create an offence, the section does not apply. So the same judgment will apply here. There is no case against me nor anybody. This is to frighten the people. We will be behind the people. We will fight for justice for the people.”
Ferreira also cited a similar instance involving residents of Shel-Melaulim who had protested against the proposed IIT project, noting that the case against them was quashed by the High Court under comparable circumstances.
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