SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 2024
Team Herald
ASSAGAO: While the legal position of who is the owner and who is not is determined by the sale deed and official documents of ownership, the principle of justice encompasses its implementation through humane means. It rules out illegal and torturous solutions.
But the exact opposite happens. And hear it from the victims of this torture, allegedly supervised by the establishment in khaki.
“We spent two nights living in fear that the bouncers would come again to harm us. After the incident on Saturday it is clear that the Anjuna police cannot be trusted anymore. I cried and begged for help and they just ignored our plea,” said Prishna Agarwadkar, whose part of the house was bulldozed.
Prishna, till Saturday afternoon, lived happily with her three children and incapacitated husband in a dwelling, she claims has been her home for years.
“We have an NOC given by the owner o the plot in 2016 wherein he said he had no objection to the electricity, water and house tax bills be transferred to our name but the manner in which the bouncers barged into our house and intimidated us has had a crippling effect on our faith in the police,” said Prishna outside the Anjuna Police station after having collected copies of the FIR.
“I was at home with my dad when suddenly the bouncers returned and violently forced us into their silver coloured Innova. I remember the first lettering of the vehicle was GA06 but the rest was a ride of fear,” recollects nineteen year old Prince who along with his handicapped father was taken for a spin till around ten pm- not knowing what was happening.
“Once inside the car, they took away my phone and we were driven, as far as I could make out till Mandrem. The car then went further on but I do not know where it was. All along the way, the driver kept receiving calls from one Hanif who seemed to be instructing him,” recounts Prince.
“They did not touch us nor did they abuse us once in the car but they were rough when they forcibly pushed us into the car. We are lucky nothing happened to our father,” stresses Prince.
“I was made to sit as if in a straight jacket and all along I could say the name of Hanif when the drivers mobile rang,” remembers Prince.
“At around ten at night , I really cannot recollect the time, we were dropped near Bobby Bar junction and I was handed back my phone. It is then that I called my mother,” says Prince with poke marks of stress.
As a few labourers hired try to bring a semblance of order to a place destroyed by a bull dozer, Pradeep Agarwadkar tries to make his way to the front porch of his now broken house.
“Please wait,” he says incoherently. "I want to tell you something,” he says, as he breaks down and is escorted in by his son. “Papa has been sick before COVID and the manner we were hustled into the car, has rattled him,” says son Prince.
After the bull dozer did its job, the Agarwadkars were left with no lights and just one room and kitchen.
“This is not the way we should be treating our people. They should have at least been given them some notice. We are losing our humanness,” said Hanumant Naik, sarpanch of Assagao who saw to it that their electricity was restored.
“I lost my mind when I came home and realised my son and husband were not at home and my son was not answering his phone. When I begged them (the police) for help, they just watched. Anjuna PI Prashal Dessai came at night, parked his car at a distance and without even saying a word, left,” said a disheartened Prinsha.
As the third night looms over the Agarwadkars, rains lash intermittently around, neighbours and relatives come by to inquire and the family will spend another night in their bulldozed house, with only their dogs looking over them.
Agarwadekars haven’t managed to prove that they are the rightful owners of the land while Pooja Sharma has a registered sale deed
Agarwadekar’s counter claim of paying Pinto Rs 16 lakhs for the land not backed by any documents
A few months back, the SIT investigating fraudulent land scams in Goa sent a notice to the Agarwadekars that a complaint was filed by one Pooja Sharma, alleging that they were illegally occupying the land which she had purchased from Chrys Pinto from Mapusa - the original owner.
“After we were made aware by SIT that the land was purchased by one Pooja Sharma from Pinto in September 2023, we handed over copies of our documents on June 7, 2024 and were informed to file a civil suit,” admits Prinsha Agarwadekar.
Prinsha claims that before falling ill, her husband had paid Pinto Rs 16,00,000 in cash for the land but there was nothing in writing. Pinto gave us an NOC to transfer the electricity, water and house tax in our name but when asked for the sale deed, directed us to his advocate,” says Prinsha.
“Whenever we asked Mr Pinto about giving us the sale deed, he told us to meet his advocate Dene Rosario,” claimed Prinsha Agarwadkar. “When we met him, he tried to threaten us,” she adds.
The Agarwadkars promised to send copies of all documents handed over to SIT that proved their right over land, but failed to do so till the time of going to press. Attempts to obtain details of Chris Pinto proved futile whilst his advocate Dene Rosario requested that,” he be contacted later as he was in a conference.
Took 3 days for Anjuna police to file a named FIR
It took the Anjuna police three days to register a First Information Report (FIR) against one Pooja Sharma and other unknown persons under section 365 (kidnapping) and 427 (causing loss/damage to tune of Rs 50,000) after the incident was reported on 22-06-2024.
“I had specifically complained that I was beaten up by the lady bouncers and there is no mention of it in the FIR. Plus, they have mentioned the address of Pooja Sharma as unknown when I have given them the same,” stated disgusted Prinsha.
“When I went to complain at the police station, I pointed out one of the bouncers, who after actually wishing the PI through his glass door, left and they have mentioned unknown persons in the FIR.
What more can one expects,” asked Prinsha.
“The JCB was not seized nor have they come to do a panchanama after so many days and filing the FIR,” said Prinsha in utter dismay.
