Wednesday 16 March 2022

Bharat Mukti Morcha condemns Police assault on Hanuman Parab

Calls for dismissal of the Police Officials involved in Pissurlem assault on Hanuman Parab



Bharat Mukti Morcha strongly condemns brutal assault against Hanuman Parab from Pissurlem at Valpoi Police Station for espousing the cause of reviving of village agriculture.

A week before the violent turn Pissurlem farmers had petitioned Goa Government to revive village agriculture in ravaged stage by mining industry. However due to State Government's non-response to enforce High Court Order farmers started the protest and stopped transportation of the iron Ore by Sesa Goa-Vadanta company.

Pissurlem was highest paddy growing village in Sattari producing abundance of rice and open cast iron Ore mining over the past some decades has ruined it all, dried all  water sources, pumped dust into lungs, destroyed something that was beautiful.

On March 11, 2022 at around 11.30 am - barely 24 hours after declaration of State Assembly results declaring vistory to Rane couple in Sattari's two seats- Police led by Police Inspector (PI) Prajyot Phadte arrived at the site of the protests at Dhatwada in  Pissurlem, bundled up the around 18 out of 78 protesting farmers, jumbled them into Police vehicles and drove to Valpoi Police Station in just 45 minutes.

At around 12.15 pm - like a baggage - Farmers were unloaded from the Police vehicles and herded inside Valpoi Police Station where Police Officer with rank of Deputy Superitendent of Police based in Bicholim was ready and awaiting the farmers to hostile reception without provisions in law. There was no presence of Divya Rane nor Viswajit Rane at the police station - the two elected MLAs- to support and voice out their outrageous against Police action. Why these MLAs don't support revival of Agriculture in Pissurlem?

The beastly partly began immediately with no more preparations needed. All that was required to push Hanuman to Passion was prepared. PI Prajyot Phadte joined DYSP Sagar Ekoskar with another three policemen and started bashing up Hanuman Parab. They slapped him, threw him on ground kicked him, abused him with filthy words. All this in full public view of the 17 arrested farmers from Pissurlem inside the premises of Valpoi Police Station. Police visualized Hanuman's physical body as football to be kicked by all men in Khaki in a beastly party. And kick, they did. Determined Hanuman at least for the sake of his mother, wife and son at home decided to defend himself and protect his head from Police boots. In the bargain he took Police blows on his hands and exposed ribs. The ingrained pain was enough to ground him home for next five days not even able to get up to file Police complaints. And where will he redress his grievances? Police Inspector and Deputy Superitendent of Police themselves came out as Triumphant criminals holding policing functions? It's ridiculous to the core.

With the declaration of election results passion of people in mining belt has resumed after a decade. DYSP, PI and other police officers did inflict these violent blows on Hanuman Parab to create fear amongst the farmers most of whom are Scheduled Tribes. Fear generation is backbone of governance in mining belt of Goa over the past half century and Police has been the most favored agency of the mining industry to create fear through terror in hearts and minds of affected people. It was done in Sirigao and Mayem in 1970s when farmers protested machinisation of mining industry that pushed digging below water table. It was done in Colomba, in Cavrem, in Advalpal and many other places in Goa.

In the current case of Pissurlem Sesa Goa, a subsidiary company of Vedanta that was feeling threatened with farmers agitation that blocked Ore transportation for just a few days.

Irrespective of who the beneficiary of violence is, we as a civilized society cannot let Police officers of any rank to transform into terror distributors and ring masters. That is not the reason why public tax money is used to pay the salaries of the Police officials. Terror distribution is opposite of normal Police functioning. All those Police officials who participated in beastly party to inflict violence on Hanuman Parab deserves to be dismissed from the service. Ring leader of terror administration DYSP Sagar Ekoskar has built up reputation for violence. We have not forgotten his role in Melaulim agitation in 2021 wherein he dared to step on the breasts of protesting elderly woman while he was then holding rank of Police Inspector. Goa Government instead of dismissing him from the police service awarded him the promotion to the rank of DYSP! We wonder what further promotion awaits to such a man with such heinous acts as we learned from meeting Hanuman Parab shortly after he survived the Police beastly party on his body at Valpoi Police Station. Hanuman's spirit of combat is intact and we support him wholeheartedly to counter catastrophic designs of mining industry.

Bharat Mukti Morcha, calls for immediate dismissal from the service of all the Police officials that administered violence on Hanuman Parab. Two are named above. Remaining officials identities needs to be traced and punished.

Further Bharat Mukti Mukti calls for Judicial investigation into Police assault on Hanuman Parab.

Further Bharat Mukti Morcha supports movements of Pissurlem farmers and all those connected with them in order to revive agriculture in the village.

Further Bharat Mukti Morcha calls for immediate implementation of High Court order to supply required quantity of water from mining pits to cultivate paddy fields and other water needs.


Further Bharat Mukti Morcha calls for physical takeover of all the Mines in Goa from private operators as mining leases expired in 2007 and no renewals are effected.

Further Bharat Mukti Morcha calls upon all the Political Parties operating in Goa to support farmers of Pissurlem in order to revive agriculture in the village.


Further realizing that the root of corrupt government administration in Goa being non-transparency, Bharat Mukti Morcha calls for inclusion of Political Parties within the scope of Right to Information Act through suitable amendment so that finding sources of Political Parties are made transparent and Politics is freed from mining mafia and cartel controls, and corporate greed as currently is the case.

1 comment:

  1. The farmers in Punjab were having a problem. Now it is happening in Goa. Does this exposes the government's neglect of agricultural interest and support to non agricultural policies of vested lords?

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