GOAMAP condemns attack on Advocate John Fernandes

24th April 2010

Goa Federation of Mines Affected People strongly condemns the physical assault on Journalist cum Lawyer John Fernandes in Quepem town yesterday April 23, 2010. Advocate John Fernandes was clicking photographs of mining trucks plying on roads involved in violating High Order on overloading when he and his another colleague Pobre Fernandes was attacked from behind, beaten up and his camera targeted by the goons attached to mining industry. John Fernandes was arrested after the assault under section 151 of CrPc.

This attack signifies rising menace of mining truck transporters taking law into their hands at the drop of their hat in order to suppress people exercising their fundamental rights of freedom of speech and expression. GOAMAP demands that mischief of mining transporters be dealt with iron hand once and for all in Goa and attackers of Advocate John Fernandes be prosecuted.

GOAMAP also condemns arrest of Advocate John Fernandes. It is very shocking that Police involved in criminalizing law abiding citizens like John Fernandes and ignore constant violation of law by overloaded mining trucks plying under their nose.

GOAMAP takes serious note of this trend and demands serious action from Home Ministry as within one month this is a second incident where in a citizen involved in vigilance of mining industry was physically attacked. Earlier on March 29, 2010 Rama Velip was physically attacked at Damodar Mangalji mine, Colamb, Sanguem and his camera broken by two people involved in robbery of the ore there, one of them was a policeman attached to a Police Station in North Goa whose brother is involved in illegal ore transport.