A huge police force deployed at the Old Market circle, Margao to keep the protesters off the road on Sunday. Activist Pratima Coutinho in heated exchanges with DySP Nilesh Rane.
Photo Credits: Santosh Mirajkar
MARGAO
The Fatorda police has booked Pratima Coutinho, husband Savio Coutinho besides several others for forming an unlawful assembly and blocking the national highway passing through the police station jurisdiction.
They have been booked under a host of sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and under Section 8B of the National Highway Act.
In the FIR, the Fatorda police have pointed out that after forming an unlawful assembly to demand the arrest of Subhash Velingkar, the protesters blocked the movement of vehicular traffic and general public, causing obstruction in the public way in the line of navigation, in violation to the oral order promulgated by the Executive Magistrate Salcete.
They were further accused for blocking the road and allegedly committed negligent act of endangering human life, as they put their lives-and-the-lives of general public in danger, besides causing loss to various persons who were caught in the road blockage.
The police have further alleged that the accused persons further assaulted a motor cycle rider namely Niyaz Ahmed and other two-wheeler riders and four-wheeler drivers and further used criminal force against the police personnel by pelting stones on them while they were discharging their lawful duties at the Old Market circle.
Sections invoked by the police against the protesters are Section 189 (2) (3), (5), 285, 223 (3) (b), 126 (2), 125, 324 (1), 132, 115 (2) R/w 191 (2), of The BNS 2023 and Section 8B of the National Highway Act.
