Fr. Mathias D’Cunha sdb on Maina protests, beatings and arrests

I, The undersigned, Fr. Mathias D’Cunha sdb., would like to give a detailed description of the untoward incident that took place on 11th of October 2008.

It was a bright Saturday morning and anti mining group under the banner of Goamap had decided to block the transport of ore from the Maina-Caurem mine, as the whole landscape which has natural beauty, is continuously being destroyed bit by bit. Presently the mining industry is booming and mines are mushrooming by the day. We had decided to protest in the Gandhian way, peacefully without using violence or force. This mine operated by Mr. Dinar Tarcar having T.C. No. 59/51 is illegally operated and is situated in 3 surveys that of : Maina, Rivona and Caurem in the Pirla – Cauvrem Panchayat. It has destroyed a lot of trees and some are ‘buried to rise again’ hopefully, when the activities stop.

On 11th October 2008 at about 9.15 am a few ladies and some men including myself went to this mine mentioned above. There were four ladies most affected by the mine and its ill effects and are to be further affected by a new mine just touching their compound in Maina itself to be operated by Mr. Joaquim Alemao, the honourable Minister for Urban Development. The ladies, Mrs. Dora desouza aged 85, Mrs Cheryl de Souza e Sanfransisco, aged 40, (both Rita and Shashikala are working with Mrs. Cheryl) and little girl Aki Sanfransisco aged 8 years (daughter of Mrs. Cheryl). The little girl Aki who came a little later at about 10.30 am was holding a picture of her late father Mr.Tony Sanfransisco. These ladies chained themselves at the entrance of the mine and we were around watching them and their boldness in showing their demands. Then the drivers of the mine transporters showed up and no tipper vehicles was allowed in or out. The manager being informed by the security came to inquire and was told that we were protesting the mining activities in the area. The cameramen Mr. Khurus Kanteenwalla and Mr. Sebastian Rodrigues were shooting the event.

Then at around 10.30 am a gentlemen came and took the ladies names and my name too. We enquired who he was and were told that he was CID Premanand Phaldessai. He asked us what we were doing and took off in a vehicle of the mining company. Only at 03.10 pm the PI Mr. Santosh Dessai turned up and walked to Mrs. Cheryl asking her whether she had taken legal steps before protesting. He claimed that the protest was not right. Mrs Cheryl was forthright in saying that after going to the Chief Minister, Mr. Digambar Kamat, the Mines Department and the Chief Forest Conservator, she could not get their support against this destructive action of the mining lobby. They had raised their hands up in defeat and she was not taking defeat lying down and wanted to make her point. The police Inspector told her that he was giving her time to leave the place or he would show her and the rest. A woman being so strong was a defeat to this inspector whose pride was hurt. He was not able to threaten an emancipated lady for she was firm in her decision. A little earlier a bus load load of about 35 people turned up from Colomba-Rivona.

The inspector returned once again with two vehicles, one a Gypsy and the other the Sumo loaded with man and women police. At the same time as though well planned the lorry owners and drivers were shouting that the mines were their bread and they were ready to stop if we offered them jobs. Two or three of them were hailing stones of bad words at all of us and it was disgusting to hear. The police lined up, were watching action and suddenly the vehicles which were ahead were made to be parked in front and as the blue Maruti car belonging to Mrs. Cheryl was being driven it was stopped by the rowdies and one of the men took of ignition key and pulled out the driver Kassim. They started to beat him when Mr. Seby Rodrigues ran to save him. The police were around as the goons and rowdies were trying to damage the vehicles. It was in the middle of the road. One of them tried to puncture the wheels. They got more violent and did not want any photographs to be taken while one of their men was taking snaps on his mobile camera. Then Seby was hit badly and his camera whisked off, though he ws not taking any photos at all. His camera was thrown onto the ground and his shoulder bag taken away by the miscreant. As he was on ground, our people picked him up. I ran to see the harm caused to him and the same one who attacked Mr. Seby ran towards Mr. Khurus and also started slapping him and threw him to the ground shouting ‘get lost from here’, ‘leave this place immidiately’. Fortunately he had handed over his bag with camera to a lady. He lost his spectacles in the tussle, had bruises and his leg was hurt as he began limping; I rushed to him and I was also hit by the rowdy Mr. Subash Phaldessai, who is supposedly the member (President) of the Zilla Parishad Council. Mr. Subash started using abusive language and even said nasty things to the women and of course to me as a priest. It was only then that the police acted by taking the women, Mrs. Cheryl, Miss Aki and others into police vehicle. The lady Mrs. Dora was not able to walk as she had her walker to help her and she was roughly handled in spite of her age and then taken to the Gypsy jeep. To me it seemed to look as if the police has connived with the lorry drivers and the mining people to create some commotion in order to act. We, the defenceless victims were taken in as criminals, while the criminals went scot-free and were not touched at all.

Then they attacked Mr. Robert Pinto, the driver of Mrs. Cheryl. He was slapped by them and the keys of the Grey Maruti Swift taken from his hands after he had parked the vehicles on the side. While I was watching I too was put into the Sumo vehicle. Mrs. Cheryl shouted to help her mother who is a heart patient. The P.I. was not polite at all and told her to shut up and do what she wanted. He spoke in a very angry tone and disrespectfully to a respectable lady. We were then driven to the Police Station at Quepem. We were all in the same jeep when I heard Mrs. Cheryl telling her daughter that the same people (police) who are supposed to uphold the law and help the weak were now not upholding the law and supporting the strong. As we were leaving the men were still abusing and saying nasty things to all of us in the vehicle. The other Gypsy police vehicle with Mrs. Dora and others came behind us.

We were at the police station at around 4.45 pm. We were eight adults, Cheryl, Dora, Shashikala, Rita, Seby, Khurus, Robert, myself and little girl Aki. The goons and drivers were there to see the whole drama. The formalities were taking a long period and the police were keeping us in as criminals. All the while we were under impression that the police did a good thing by protecting us when our Advocate Mr. Mario told us that we were arrested under many sections. From then the police did not allow us to move from where we were sitting on benches. Our supporters were constantly taking care of our material needs supplying all that we required as we had not eaten from the morning. There were a lot of people pleading for us to P.I. and Magistrate/ Dy Collector of Margao, Mr. Venanacio Furtado. Rev. Fr. Mevrick, the representative of Peace and Justice for the Goa diocese, was there with many people like some of our priests, Fr. Chrysologous D’Cunha, Fr. Dominic Savio Fernandes, Fr. Ralin D’Souza, Fr. Leo Pereira and other activists. It took ages for police to make arrest papers getting all the details from us criminals though we were the victims, while the perpetrators were not even arrested and it was for that very reason that we refused to take bail. Finally at around 8.30 pm we were sent by the police in 2 jeeps to the Churchorem Government hospital for a medical check up.

We were being checked by the Doctor on duty and six policemen were there to see that we do not escape from the place, and those wanting to go to the toilet were accompanied by two police. The Doctor checked all of us and gave some first aid treatment to those who needed it. I had some pressure and as I did not know the tablet I was taking he decided to admit me in the hospital. After the police informed the Quepem police I was admitted with two police to guard me for the night, it was now 10.30 pm. Being exhausted and hungry I went off to sleep but it was a disturbed one with phone calls coming inquiring about my situation. Three of our farm boys – Pravin, Francis and Prakash – came to the hospital with some dinner for me. At about 11.45 pm in came my supporters Mr. Salvador Fernandes and Mathew Fernandes to keep company for the night as they realized that I was admitted in the hospital. They took chance to lie down by the side and the police too slept. At about 2. am I got a call from Mrs. Cheryl complaining about the conditions at Fort Aguada Jail, especially for the aged mother Dora, where they were taken for Judicial custody. I rang one or two people informing them of it in the mid of night waking them up. Then at 3 am I got up again and realized that the police protecting me had disappeared. So I informed my advocate in the morning and he told me they could get me in trouble if I went away. So I was there patiently and the Doctor on duty realized that my pressure was still the same and I remembered the tablet I was taking and after confirming the same with my Doctor, Stecey Moraes, the next two who had replaced the earlier two supporters got it for me. Only in the evening when I asked the doctor to check with the police station why the police had left the place I was informed that I was not charge sheeted. I was then given the discharge note by the Doctor on duty who earlier was not ready to give it. So at about 3.15 pm I left the hospital for Don Bosco, Sulcorna with Fr. Simao Fernandes who had come to see me in the hospital.

Fr. Mathias D’Cunha sdb