GOA POLICE OPPOSED LATHI CHARGE IN BALLI INCIDENT: ATMARAM DESHPANDE

PANJIM: Goa police had at first opposed the South Goa collector's decision to lathi charge the tribals agitating at Balli that led to violence and subsequent death of two tribal members, whose charred bodies were found inside a building.

Admitting this, police spokesperson SP A V Deshpande said, "At that particular time, circumstances were not conducive to conduct lathi charge and some amount of restraint was required and this was communicated by the police to the South Goa collector. But as the crowd was pelting stones, the collector had no option but to order lathi charge."

The police lathi charge was responded by fierce volley of stones and the police had to flee from the spot. Sources said that the collector in his report to the government has also mentioned that the police ran away from the spot when the tribals retaliated to the lathi charge and he himself had to take shelter in a shop.

SP Deshpande admitted that the 150-odd policemen posted at Balli were inadequate to take over the crowd of 5,000-odd tribals who had gathered at the spot. "The terrain is such that the agitators were on an upper ground and they were pelting stones on the police who were on a lower ground. The agitators were armed with stones and dandas. The first person to be attacked was SP Tony Fernandes," SP Deshpande said.

Due to this police personnel, who were posted there to ensure law and order, fled from the spot. "Police left and reached Cuncolim police station to regroup. It took some time for them to regroup and reach Balli junction, during which the burning incident happened and the locals retaliated," admitted SP Deshpande.

The police said that violence was not pre-planned but things went out of control, as the tribal leaders failed to control the agitators.

However, SP Deshpande admitted that "It appears that they had pre-planned to block the road and had placed cut trees on the road." He also alleged that the agitators had plans to to blow up one major link bridge on national highways which was averted. Though he admitted that the blocking of the road was pre-planned, he claimed that there was no intelligence failure on the part of the police as they had information that United Tribals Associations Alliance (UTAA) was having an awareness programme to educate the tribals of their constitutional rights. "Things turned violent as majority of them were drunk and not interested in listening to their leaders. The leaders should have been in much more control of their people, especially since the government had agreed to most of their demands", said Deshpande.

Police said that after the incident, the tribals have been hostile to the police and are not coming forward to help the police in the investigations. "They feel that the police have initiated the lathi charge. But we had to resort to lathi charge under magistrate's order. Till lathi charge was ordered, police was showing restraint, which was the order of the day and we didn't use any unwarranted force. Infact we were at the receiving end," added SP Deshpande.