Balli conflict: Collector suspended, tribals demand Goa PRO?s suspension

With his retirement day nearing, South Goa Collector G P Naik has been suspended as intense pressure mounted on the state government for his
mistakes in handling the violence at Balli village in South Goa?s Quepem taluka, on May 25.

Goa Governor S S Sidhu ordered his suspension, late Monday evening after the tribals’ association ? United Tribals Associations? Alliance (UTAA)- demanded action in the brutal violence in which two tribals were burnt to death.

While the order was being issued, Naik was undergoing medical treatment for high blood pressure in a local private hospital in Margao, South Goa.

Chief Minister Digambar Kamat had assured UTAA of suspending the South Goa Collector and initiating judicial probe into the violence.

On the violence day, Naik had issued lathi charge order after all efforts to defuse the agitation failed and the tribals hurled sticks and stones on the government officials including police.

Three days post-violence, Kamat, accompanied by state tribal minister Philip Neri Rodrigues also visited tribals on hunger strike at Azad Maidan in the capital and assured to arrest the accused responsible for murdering Manguesh Gaonkar and Dilip Velip.

?The video footage and photographs will be of great use for police investigation and trace the accused responsible for triggering violence,? Kamat said.

Charred bodies of the two tribal youths were recovered from a cashew factory at Balli, which was set on fire by anti-tribal mob.

The post-mortem was conducted on the two bodies for nearly five hours in the Goa Medical College and Hospital on Monday. The grieving families subsequently took over the bodies for funeral rites.

Earlier, UTAA members and families had refused to take over the bodies demanding arrest of the accused.

Several hundred tribals on hunger strike have also demanded suspension of Goa police spokesperson Atamaram Deshpande for making derogatory remark that tribals were ?drunk? on the protest day.

Deshpande, at a press briefing last Saturday had claimed that the agitators were drunk and about to get drunk.

As many as 7000 tribals from the Velip community took on the streets on Wednesday protesting against the government for turning a blind eye and deaf ears to their long pending demands including implementation of Tribals Act and reservations in government schemes.

The peaceful protest erupted into violence after the police resorted to lathi charge to disperse the crowd.