log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline Facebook.com/thegoan SUNDAY OCTOBER 6, 2024 The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) Instagram.com/thegoanonline 18 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO.109 RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 MOVIES »PAGE 18 PLAY & PAUSE »PAGE 15 LIVE SMART »PAGE 16 From Swedish to Mumbai Traditional modernity Gaslighting at work? How to recognise and protect yourself SPORTS »PAGE 10 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup: Australia defeats Sri Lanka by six wickets Ode to Indian arts & craft Credit cards: How to spend wisely Mumbai clinches Irani Cup after 27 years Greek actress Elli AvrRam opens up about her latest short film Beinteha Sneak peek: Diljit calls Pak superstar on stage, sings Lover for actress Third generation Gaurika Rai brings modern approach to her mother Sagarika’s love of traditional Banarasi fabric FURY ON ROADS; APPEALS FOR PEACE Protesters bring Margao to a Cops lathicharge protesters standstill over SFX remarks Photographer of The Goan assaulted THE GOAN I NETWORK Protesters at the Old market-Margao KTC bus stand on Saturday.  THE GOAN I NETWORK >> SEE PG 2 TOURISM: NEW SEASON, OLD ISSUES ON PAGE 5 „„Protesters clash with two-wheeler riders in Margao „„Students, tourists most affected due to road blockade „„Protesters unmoved by police appeal to clear blockade „„Salcete p’yats file joint complaint, seek action against Velingkar „„Cancona residents show united front, demand arrest „„Valpoi locals slam Velingkar, demand action „„Protests erupt in North Goa „„CM following up on case: Minister MARGAO Normal life at the northern entrance to the commercial capital was affected throughout Saturday after hundreds of protesters blocked the entire stretch of the main road between the Old market circle to the Margao KTC bus stand. Demanding the immediate arrest of Subhash Velingkar, the protesters staged road blockade for 12-long hours at three places, Old market cir- PROTESTORS PLEDGE TO REASSEMBLE AT MARGAO TODAY IF VELINGKAR IS NOT ARRESTED BY 11 AM >> See pg 5 cle, at the KTC bus stand and near the Collectorate building, disrupting all vehicular traffic. Resultantly, traffic entering the city via the Margao KTC bus stand towards the Old market circle came to a to- THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Even as tensions rose across the State with protests demanding the arrest of former Goa RSS chief Subhash Velingkar for his derogatory remarks against St Francis Xavier there were calls for peace made by the social arm of the Goa Catholic Church and several other green activists. In a statement on Saturday evening, the Council for Social Justice and Peace said that the Goan Catholic Community condemns Velingkar’s “insulting and derogatory” statements even as it urged the protestors to exercise restraint for the sake of peace and communal harmony. It said, Velingkar’s statements deeply hurt the religious sentiments not only of Catholics but also of so many people belonging to other faith communities who also revere the saint for having received numerous favours in their lives after praying to him. “We appeal to the government to take necessary strict action as per prevalent law against Subhash Velingkar for trying to disrupt the communal harmony in Goa by deliberately and mischievously putting one community against the other,” CSJP statement issued by Fr Savio Fernandes, said. “There are burning issues threatening the environment, the demography and future of Warmest MAGAZINE MAGAZ 11 12 13 Breast cancer: Know the signs and prioritise your health To our Dearest Parish Priest Rev Fr Adolfo Alvares Café Borkar: A century-long legacy, still standing strong in St Inez WEATHER >> Max: 32 C Min: 24 C Humidity: 91% TIDES Low: 02.38 High: 10.12 15.45 20.30 tal halt since morning till late Saturday evening. Resuming the agitation on Saturday morning after a road blockade at the Old market circle past midnight, the protesters took out a morcha from the Margao police station after being informed that the police has not arrested Velingkar. The protesters went through the city thoroughfare along the old Hospicio road, before halting at the Old >Continued on P7 Church body calls for peace BIRTHDAY WISHES World teacher’s day: A tribute to unsung heroes Santosh Mirajkar From the Parishioners of St Agnes Church St Inez Goa. Goa which demand the immediate attention of the authorities and which the people of Goa have been unanimously raising before the authorities these days. We appeal to the citizens not to distract their attention from the major issues plaguing our State,” Fr Fernandes said in the statement. Meanwhile, another group of green activists including Dr Oscar Rebello, Dr Sabina Martins and others held a press conference where they appealed to Velingkar to withdraw his statement and apologise to the people of Goa. The greens also urged protestors from across Goa to diffuse the situation and prevent further escalation of the tension. MARGAO In a late night development, the police lathicharged protesters at the Old Market circle, Margao, who were demanding the arrest of Subhash Velingkar. The police detained a couple of protesters, including Fidol, one of the leaders, who was leading the protests. What triggered the lathichage remains unknown, but the police action came minutes after activist Pratima Coutinho had temporarily called off the protest for the day. A number of two-wheel- MARGAO: The police did not also spare journalists covering the protests during the lathichage. The Goan photographer Santosh Mirajkar was hit by two policemen when he questioned them over their demand to delete the footage of another cameraman. The policemen struck The Goan photographer’s legs with 4-5 lathi blows, despite him showing his identity card during the assault. ers which were parked by the protesters around the area were damaged by the policemen and were all seen strewn around. The police were seen detaining the protesters after the lathicharge. Activist Fidol told The Goan that she has been as- saulted by the police without any reason. “They have detained me and have taken my mobile”, she said. DySP Santosh Desai justified the police action saying the protesters did not leave the area and were still >Continued on P7 Velingkar will face same action as Fr Bolmax: CM PANAJI: In the face of the tension over the protests, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant late on Saturday evening assured action against Subhash Velingkar just as was done in the case of Fr Bolmax Pereira at Sancoale. “Subhash Velingkar will not go scot free without any action. He will face the same action as was initiated against Father Bolmax,” Sawant said in a statement even as he appealed to people protesting to refrain from blocking roads and taking law in their hands. “Don’t create communal tension in the State. Everyone will be given same justice,” Sawant said while speaking to media persons in Panaji. No interim relief for Velingkar, pre-arrest bail plea on Monday THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Additional District Court refused to grant interim relief to ex-RSS Goa Chief Subhash Velingkar in connection with the FIR registered against him for offending St Francis Xavier. As pressure mounted to arrest Velingkar, the police searched his house late Friday night but in vain. The protest meanwhile escalated in South Goa. In the midst of all this, Velingkar on Saturday filed for anticipatory bail before the District Court that adjourned the matter for Monday and issued notice to Bicholim police. Seeking urgent hearing, the matter was taken up in the chamber of the District Judge as the application was filed after the Court hours. During the brief hearing, the Court refused to grant him interim relief. The Goa police earlier issued a statement confirming Velingkar was absconding.