Villgers of Copelabhat speaks out against State repression

That the charges leveled against us (villagers of Copelabhat ) are false, baseless, concocted and leveled just to harass and the same is being done at the instance of the mining companies by the Dy-Collector of Quepem and PI of Quepem who are their agents just to suppress the agitation cropping up against the illegalities of mining. We the villagers were discharging/fighting for our constitutional duty/right of protecting the environment as enshrined under article 51A , art.21 of the constitution of India.

We were peacefully demonstrating our right as all the authorities failed and neglected to attend to our complaint dated 7/11/2008, reminder dated 24/11/2008 and non compliance complaint dated 2/11/2008. As the authorities including the Dy-Collector office failed even to reply to our complaints we the villagers Copelabhat forced and constrained to come on the road on 27/12/2008 and there after on 17/12/2008 to highlight our grivences. The Dy-Collector of Quepem Shri Venancio Furtado has time to conduct meeting pertaining to mining companies and the truck owner ever on Sunday as conducted on 14/12/2008 but don’t have time even to reply to our complaint/to our problem.

The charges leveled by the Quepem Police under section 307 of IPC against one of our activist Adv. john Fernandes for allegedly attempting to murder ASI Arvind Nagekar by using Favda (spade) is false, baseless and concocted . The Favda(spade ) which the police claimed to have allegedly used by john was procured by the police from the garden of one Smt. Piedade Rebello. That john Fernandes being the main leader who is fighting against the illegalities of mighty mining company to suppress his voice and to sabotage the agitations in Quepem taluka that are croppingup the false baseless charges leveled against him. The Falsity can be seen from the reply filed by the police in Bail application moved in respect of Cr.No.86/08 in which the police says that John and three others are absconding from the time of Commission of offence. How can a second Cr. being Cr. No.87/08 at a later stage about attempting to murder emerge from.

That our authorities are day light liar , they cannot deliver justice to the common man. That the Dy-Collector of Quepem Shri Venancio Furtado and P.I. Santosh Dessai replying to a query raised by section of press ( Navhind Times, Herald, Gomantak Marati) claimed that there were no larthy charge on the agitators . On the other hand the Collector South Goa Shri G.P.Naik justifies larthy charge ( Times of India dated 19/12/2008). If the officer who had supervised the incident claimed that there was no larthy charge, how can a officer of collector cadre who was not at all present can justify the act? Which means our Collector also justify the act of Dy-Collector of Quepem of not replying to any of our complaint or of not attending to the problem of the villagers ?

It is totally false that the agitators first pelted stones on the police (as appeared daily Pudari dated 18/2/2008 pg.2 ) forcing the police to larthy charge. Infact when the Dy-Collector order the police to clear the road most of the agitators came out of the road and the transport start plying even 10 to 15 truck plied , it is only when we question the Dy-Collector Venancio about our demand he order larthy charge. The police brutally larthy charged the agitators even the batten of the police have been broken in which 13 villagers including aged women have been injured (we have collected 4 pieces of broken batten of the police from the spot of incident).
We question whether there is any administration in Quepem? If there is administration why they are not attending on the complaint/problem of the common man, why they are not even bother to reply? Or the mind of the administrators has been totally corroded with the mining dust and their hands have been paralyzed with the Carbon Mono Oxide released by the Mining truck?

We the villagers hereby states that the Dy-Collector of Quepem is most incompetent to head administration of Quepem and is one of the most corrupt official. Instead of doing justice to the Am Admi he is acting as a agent of the rich. We the villagers demand immediate suspension of Dy-Collector of Quepem Shri Venancio Furtado we futher demand an impartial inquiry into the entire incident taken place at Ambaulim on 17/12/2008 and punish all the officers who found guilty of Commission and omission