Goa's great mining plunder - Part 9

Documenting Police Repression

Sebastian Rodrigues, October 2011

There are nearly 600 criminal cases filed against people protesting against mining industry and they have to attend Court hearing every week sometimes even twice a week. Police have been totally biased in handling of the cases. Whenever the cases are filed against mulnivasi people by mining companies police investigate and charge sheet for it to get into the Judicial Courts. If Mulnivasi people file cases against mining industry then it is blocked at the stage of registration itself. And if the case is registered then it is not investigated, nor charge sheeted.

The response of the State to these protests has been to deploy State police – Goa Police – to carry on series of repressive measures against those people involved in the active resistance against the mining industry.  Number of people arrested and criminally charged. Police force is deployed to protect the mining industry and to demoralize the resisting people in various manner. Below is a list of Police interventions and strategic non-interventions to achieve this objective.

November 20, 2007 Colomba, Sanguem A group of 8 Policemen came in plain clothes at 6 pm and began threatening the villagers.

January 21, 2008 Colomba, Sanguem Police Inspector Mhamel of Quepem Police station over the phone threatened Rama Velip that if the villagers continue to march on the Fomento mines then he will arrest all the villagers.

January 23, 2008 Colomba, Sanguem Goa Police protection provided to Fomento mine in Colomba, Sanguem.

February 08, 2008 Colomba, Sanguem ASI P.V. Desai attached to Quepem police station kicked one of the Colomba villagers – Agnelo Dias. February 09, 2008 Colomba, Sanguem 40 Police personnel deputed to protect Fomento mine in Colamb.

February 11, 2008 Colomba, Sanguem Police Protection to Fomento Mine

March 11, 2008 Colomba, Sanguem Police protection to Fomento Mine.

March 25, 2008 Colomba, Sanguem 24 villagers including women arrested while blocking transportation of Iron Ore from Fomento Mine.

April 12, 2008 Margao, Salcete South Goa Collector Gokuldas Naik threatened Colomba villagers of deploying  police force to protect Fomentos to transport Ore from the company’s Colomba mine.

April 22, 2008 Quepem Police Station, Quepem Fomento Manager Atul Makode Manager of Hiralal and Khodidas mine Colomba has on 22/4/2008 filed a false and distorted complaint before the Quepem police against 18 villagers of Colomba villagers.

May 21, 2008 Nuem, Khola, Canacona Dempo Mine: contractor Gangesh Molu Dessai, landed at the site with around 40 police personal from Cuncolim, Margao, Maina Curtorim and Colva.

May 19, 2008 Advalpal, Bicholim Criminal cases registered against 70 villagers at the behest of Fomento mining company.

May 20, 2008 Advalpal, Bicholim Police Protection provided to Fomento mine.

May 21, 2008 Advalpal, Bicholim Sheetal Thanekar, Surekha Santosh Gaonkar and 17 year old Sandesh Vithal Gaonkar was beaten by Sesa Goa goons at around 3.00 pm.

June 04, 2008 Porvorim, Bardez Advalpal villagers stopped on their way to Panjim to celebrate World Environment Day and demonstration in front of Sesa Ghor. Their bus taken away to Panjim Police station from Porvorim under the pretext that Police had a secret information that the protestors are going to block the Mandovi bridge and paralyze the traffic!

June 05, 2008 Colomba, Sanguem Heavy police security in police arrangement as villagers celebrated World Environment Day. Police was called by bamon Santosh Prabhudesai, brother of Dr.Avadooth Prabhudesai.

June 19, 2008 Goa Legislative Assembly, Porvorim Leader of the opposition Manohar Parrikar at ad-hoc committee named the author of this book  Sebastian Rodrigues as naxalite operating with his team from Jharkhand in Colomba, Quepem. Top officer of Goa Police present at the meeting agreed with Mr. Parrikar’s assertion. Goa Police however came out with official statement denying presence of Naxalites in the State of Goa within five days.

June 24, 2008 Quepem Police Sation, Quepem Quepem Police Inspector Santosh S. Dessai took a written statement from Colomba’s Rama Velip on naxalite issue.

 October 11, 2008 Maina, Quepem Eight protestors were beaten up by goons of the mining industry in the presence of police personnel headed by PI Santos S. Dessai and protestors arrested and sent to jail.

October 15, 2008 Maina, Quepem. Police protection to Fomento mine T.C. 06/1949.

November 13, 2008 Colomba, Sanguem Police night patrolling in the village with three police Jeeps began. Police night patrolling continued for three weeks.

November 12, 2008 Colomba, Sanguem 86 protestors on Fomento mine T.C.No. 06/1946 were arrested and later released on bail.

 November 17, 2008 Quepem Police Station, Quepem, Goa
7 villagers from Colomba, Sanguem protesting against mining invasion of their village were arrested in fabricated criminal case filed by Fomento mining company supporter.

Novemeber 19, 2008 Quepem Police Station, Quepem, Goa Warning of Tadi Par – Exile by Police – informally sent to Egyps D’Souza by PI Santos S. Dessai.

November 22, 2008 Colomba, Sanguem Police team visited village with intention to arrest young Tedoz Antao based on the complaint filed against him by Fomento security personnel.

November 27, 2008 Ambaulim, Quepem Police in riot gear clashed on streets when Ambaulim villagers who blocked Iron Ore transport of Dinar Tarcar and Fomentos due to over loading and dust pollution.

November 29, 2008 Colomba, Sanguem Police Protection provided to Fomento Manager en route to Quepem Police Station to file complaint against villagers after they forced stopped the mining transportation.

December 01, 2008 Colomba, Sanguem Police protection provided to Fomentos to transport Iron Ore at Hiralal Khodidas mine (T.C. No. 06/1949).

December 04, 2008 Quepem Police Station, Quepem Colomba villagers warned of Tadi Par. Served 4 days deadline by PI Santosh Desai to end agitation against Fomento mining company and accept sustainable mining. According to PI Santos S. Dessai if Colomba villagers don’t listen then their agitation will be crushed with heavy police force. Entire Police force from Goa will be mobilized to unleash terror on Colamb villagers.

December 13, 2008 Sanvordem, Sanguem Stranger male moving around with photograph of youth from Colamb – Tedoz Antao – approached Milagrine Antao and Dument D’souza while on marketing visit to Sanvordem town. He told them that Quepem PI Santos S. Dessai has commissioned him to catch the person on photograph and hand over to him at Quepem Police Station. According to him this youth protesting mining company’s onslaught on his village is involved in Dacoities. Such a insidious defamatory propaganda!

December 17, 2008 Ambaulim, Quepem Police violence – lathi charge – on peaceful demonstrators against mining trucks creating air pollution and traffic hazards as all the written petitions were not respected and acted upon by Digambar Kamat government. 7 villagers arrested (William Luis, Satulin Luis, Fatima Fernandes, Franky Rebello, Glen Rebello, Diego Fernandes besides Anton Jose Fernandes who was arrested from his home after the lathi charge.) Police assault on lawyer John Fernandes and attempt to murder criminal case under section 307 of Indian Penal Code filed against Advocate Fernandes.

January 06, 2009 Colamb, Sanguem Police protection provided to Fomento mine in Colamb. It continued on January 07, 2009.

January 15, 2009 Ambaulim, Quepem Police launched search operation for two days – January 14 to January 15, 2009 to arrest Pobre Fernandes, an active person in resistance to mining industry.

January 20, 2009 Cavrem, Quepem Five tribal youth resisting mining company were arrested by Police at Quepem Police Station.

February 01, 2009 Ambaulim, Quepem Villager Franky Rebello’s house was visited by Quepem Police Constable Mohan Dessai in the night and Franky’s wife and aged parents were threatened with rendering Franky unemployed.

February 03, 2009 Colomba, Sanguem Goa Police attached to Quepem Police station served the notice to Tedoz Antao to surrender before Quepem Police station within 17 hours in response to criminal             case filed against him by Fomentos.

February 13, 2009 Colamb, Sanguem Police visited the residence of Motes Antao, youth resisting mining invasion of his village of Colomba in Sanguem at 1.33 pm with intention to scare him away.

March 20, 2009 Colamb, Sanguem Motes Antao was whisked away by Police at 10.00 am from his truck in Quepem and arrested over the charge of assault on Government Servant.  Motes is one of the active voices of mining terrorism in Goa and has been frequently targeted by the mining industry. This time he was slapped on his face three times by policemen at Quepem police station. Goa Police Complaint Authority headed by Justice Eurico Silva ruled in favor of police this time too. Earlier it had done the same in case of Lathi charge on villagers of Ambaulim, Quepem.

March 20, 2009 Colamb, Sanguem On this same day brother of Motes Antao, Tedoz Antao too was arrested – picked up by police while he was waiting for public transport bus at Tilamol junction. He was criminally charged for restraining one Yeshwant Salunke, security guard of Hiralal Khodidas mine

March 24-25, 2009 Cawrem, Quepem There was alteration on March 24, 2009 in Cawrem village between two anti - mining activists Alcine Dias and Egyps D'Souza on the one hand and Rivona Panchayat member of Panchayat Ram Gaoncar . When the two men Alcine and Egyps went to the Police station to register the complaint against Ram Gaoncar,  Timblo mining company Manager and another contractor of the Fomento mining company in Colamb swung into action and pressurized the police to register the case against Egyps D'Souza. A case was registered for assault and breach of Public Peace against Egyps. Egyps was detained at the police station for the full one night.

March 25, 2009 Quepem Police Station, Quepem Rama Velip on visit to meet arrested Egyps D’souza at the Quepem Police Station on March 25, 2009 afternoon he was arrested and forced to accept bail and move out of the police station in one old case pertaining to blockade of the mining transport near Fomento mine in Colomba.

April 01, 2009 Colomba, Sanguem Motesh Antao threatened by Quepem Police Inspector Devendra Gad of booking under National Security Act (NSA) to continue harassment in furtherance of numerous false cases filed by Fomento mining company against him. PI Devendra Gad promised to use his police powers to harass Motesh Antao till the end.

May 10, 2009 Sirgao, Bicholim Suresh Babani Gaonkar and Dhruvanjay V. Harmalkar were arrested by Bicholim Police Sub Inspector Terence Vaz and head constable Pradeep Kubal for protesting against Chowgule mining company plying its mining trucks through their property. Once taken into police custody they were put into police lock up. They were not served any meals and were starved till they were bailed out.

 May 20, 2009 Advalpal, Bicholim Two villagers from Advalpal, Bicholim – Shamsunder Naik and Vijay Pandluskar are arrested at Bicholim Police Station for protesting against Sesa Goa mines on May 10, 2009 under section 151 of Indian Penal Code – Disturbance of Public Peace! They were released from Bicholim Police Lock up at night at 9.00 pm.

 July 18, 2009 Colomba, Sanguem For two weeks Rama Velip of Colamb village in Sanguem Taluka was harassed by Goa's Secret Police - CID (Criminal Intelligence Department). Secret police has been visiting the house of Rama Velip and seeking to know about future plans of anti-mining movement. There are phone calls made at Rama Velip's residence at very odd hours in the night and asking him to report to Quepem Police Station.

September 25, 2009 Colomba, Sanguem Colamb villager Motes Antao arrested at Quepem Police Station in the morning at 9.15 am. He was called to the police station to collect information he had sought involving detailed information of three police officials – PI Santos S. Dessai, PSI Prakash Desai and HC Arvind Nagekar- under Right to Information Act 2005 (RTI). Motes was threatened at the police station for filing application under RTI on August 14, 2009. Motes Antao was arrested on complaint of  one Shri C.S.Patil Asst. Personal Manager of Hiralal Khodidas Mine – operated by Fomento mining company in Motes’ village of Colomba in Sanguem under sections 143, 341 and 506 read with 149 of Indian Penal Code (IPC).

 October 12, 2009 Usgao, Ponda 157 people protesting against Sesa Goa mines in Condli arrested and released on bond. They had blocked transportation of ore for one week prior to their arrests.

May 12, 2011, Verna, Salcete Nilesh Gaonkar of Cavrem, Quepem was assaulted in Verna due to his and villagers opposition to mining. Days prior to this several villagers were arrested while protesting against mining in Cavrem village.

June 01, 2011, Colamb, Sanguem Motesh Antao was assaulted while protesting against mining late traspotation

June 03, 2011, Tilamol, Sanguem Motesh Antao assaulted for protesting against mining transportation.