The custodial death of Cipriano Fernandes is not the first time that a suspect detained without any charges registered against him has been done to death in police custody.
In 1994, Abdul Gafar Khan a “reformed” goonda from Margao was killed in the police lock-up.
I call Abdul Gafar Khan “reformed” because he had given up his bad ways and had gone to the Gulf to feed his family. In 1994, he had come down on vacation and a few weeks before his arrest and ultimate death he had got married.
The police picked him up on May 17, 1994 for some previous petty cases and took him to the police station. In the lock-up he was beaten black and blue and his cries for mercy could be heard on the road outside the police lock-up. He was pleading saying that he was newly married and he had given up his old ways and was now a reformed person and a family man.
To cut a long story short, Abdul Gafar Khan died in the police lock-up, just like Cipriano. Abdul Gafar Khan was taken to the police lock-up at 5 O’clock and died at around 2 O’clock the same day.
After much hue and cry, his case was reported to the National Human Rights Commission. The Commission issued notice to the Chief Secretary, Goa, calling for a detailed report on this incident, along with other relevant documents.
The State Government reported to the Commission in October 1994 stating that Abdul Gafar Khan, who was required in connection with a number of criminal cases, was arrested at 005 hours on 17 May 1994 at Kharebad junction, near the railway crossing. It was further stated that he had allegedly resisted arrest, and that he had to be taken to a hospital at about 0200 hours. He was declared dead in the hospital.
A Magisterial enquiry revealed that Abdul Gafar Khan’s death was caused by brutal beating by four police personnel. The post mortem report attributed the death to multiple injuries, which were ante-mortem and which occurred within six hours prior to death. The State Government reported that it had decided the following:
(a) The Inspector General (IG) of Police would register a case under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code for murder and take all necessary consequential action against the accused police personnel involved in the incident.
(b) The IG of Police would start an investigation through the Crime Branch and also move the Government of India for take over of the case by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
(c) The IG Police would take concrete steps to prevent recurrence of such incidents, which constituted serious violation of human rights in addition to being criminal offences.
Accordingly, four police officials involved in the incident were suspended from service in June 1994 and necessary cases were registered for murder. In September 1994, the CBI took over the case from the local crime branch for further investigation.
Upon perusing the report of the State Government, the Commission expressed appreciation of the steps taken. The Commission also decided to ensure expeditious investigation by the CBI and to monitor the progress of the case brought under section 302 IPC.
After investigation, the CBI decided to prosecute a Police Inspector, a Sub-Inspector, an Assistant Sub-Inspector and a Constable involved in the incident.
This is a very serious situation...Cipriano could be one of us, picked up mistakenly. Goa is a ‘Police State’...i.e. not a democracy! with no rule of law, a rouge justice system corrupt to the core! As Dalia stated, a police force working for our dirty and corrupt politicians. In any other country the Home Minister would have been fired and under charges, but not in this dirty place. Tomorrow, the Goa police will pick up our children and they will disappear and no one will answer for it. It is very sad, as I believe they are some good police officers but they are being suppressed. It was inevitable, with our denial of the amount of drugs in OUR Goa. Some of us looked the other way as it filled our pockets with 'tourism' rupees!
ReplyDeleteBebdo, this is not the only case. In Cuncolim Police station, another person met the same fate. Dattu dessai was killed in custody and later hanged to a tree behind the police station and declared as suicide. How can a man escape from custody and hang himself to a tree behind the same police station? Ajay Kaushal died in police custody too not long ago. Since the last 10 years, Goa has seen more than 20 custodial deaths in all, those are reported in the state. In Calangute, Vidhyadhar Tuenkar was found hanging in the police lock up and cops had registered it as an unnatural death on February 11, 1992. Mahendra Tari from Diwar died in the lock up on December 30, 1992. In South Goa is a case of a 60-year-old person George Vaz who expired in Margao jail on March 1, 1993. In a case that occurred in Verna police station, Prakash Kalyan Rao Kulkarni was found hanging in the lock up on May 25, 1998.
ReplyDeleteThere are hundreds of cases unreported of police brutality in Goa. List goes on and on.
It is indeed a serious and outrageous situation. As Trevor has rightly pointed out, tomorrow it could be one of us who may have to face such inhuman treatment at the hands of the unreformed goondas in khaki. Something will have to be done to see that such incidents do not reoccur. The initiative (called “JUSTICE FOR CIPRIANO”) taken up by O Heraldo is a step in the right direction.
ReplyDelete@Caetano... Herald has taken the initiative after Niz Goenkar. Herald is the mouth piece of the illiterate goonda politicians. Herald is now frightened of losing its readership as more Goans are reading Niz Goenkar online.
ReplyDeleteWhere was Sujoy Gupta the Bengali ghantti who is the editor of Herald when so many atrocities are being committed in Goa by the corrupt police and politicians?
Where was Sujoy Gupta when Goans are being squeezed to death by the rising prices of food, fish and feni.
Where was Sujoy Gupta when Ashley do Rosario was shunted out from Heraldo because he wrote against the politicians.
Where was Sujoy Gupta and Herald when Alaric Gomes was threatened by Luizinho Faleiro and had sent two jeep loads of goondas headed by Keshav to his residence in Cortalim?
Where was Sujoy Gupta and Herald when the Goan civic society is held to ransom by the illiterate goonda politicians.
I can go on and on... if at all Herald has started something in the case of Cipriano it is only because of the pressure exerted on it through Niz Goenkar.
Finally, don't trust the non-Goan editors of Goan newspapers. Classic case is Arun Sinha the child molester and the editor of Navhind Times.
These Ghantti editors are not working for Goans, but for ghanttis.
@Bebdo: What you say about Herald and Sujay Gupta does make sense. As you may recall, a couple of years ago Gupta used to write in the local newspapers in support of miners when there were protests against mining activities in many parts of Goa. -Caetano
ReplyDeleteWell said Bebdo, Herald writes based on it's own sentiments those are similar to their patronised political masters.
ReplyDeleteTo Bebdo:: I fully agree with you and Dalia.
ReplyDeleteO`Heraldo, which is a leading Goan Newspaper, has been sitting on the shelf or fence and collecting dust for too long.
It is not in the forefront of dealing with People Issues that confront Goa.It provides news , but the news is more to satisfy Political masters.
I applaud O`Heraldo for taking up the Drug cases and Ciprianos death .
This will go some way in contributing to the welfare of Goa.
I hope it will now go forward and change its POLITICAL APATHY.
It will be a WIN,WIN for all Goa and Goans.
Goa needs a new order.
Bedea - I have no sympathy for that bastard Abdul as he had ruined hundred of innocent girls life.He rightly deserved the death at that time but definitely not inside Police Custody but on streets.What right he had to spoil innocent girls life and then beg to have a reformed life while at the mercy of criminals in Police uniform?
ReplyDeleteIts True:- Police in Goa have no feelings and they feel they can do whatever they want. Police found guilty should be hanged
ReplyDelete