Almost three years after the incident, Goa Police on Tuesday filed charge sheet against 51 Nigerians and a Ghana national for violence along the National Highway (NH-17) at Porvorim in north Goa for causing damage to property and assaulting police personnel. According to the sources, the charge sheet was filed before a Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) court. The charge sheet has been filed with as many as 15 charges including attempt to murder, rioting as well as assaulting or obstructing public servant and blocking the national highway (NH-17). The incident had taken place on October 31, 2013.
[su_expand more_text=”READ MORE” less_text=” ” height=”0″ hide_less=”yes” link_style=”button” link_align=”center”]The violence broke out when demonstrators felt that the police in the coastal belt of north Goa were not taking the alleged murder of Obodo Uzoma Simeon (a Nigerian national) by a local gang at Parra on the previous night, seriously.
The mob had stopped the hearse van carrying the body of Simeon at Porvorim along the NH-17. Policemen were assaulted, vehicles were damaged and the body of Simeon was pulled out of the hearse van and kept on the NH-17, disrupting traffic for over three hours. According to the charge sheet, police have examined 92 witnesses including senior police officers who were present at the spot and have collected 35 pieces of evidence including deadly weapons and vehicles which were used by the mob.
The body was thrown on the road demanding justice for the African national. A Nigerian national was allegedly murdered as a part of drug rivalry between two groups in the coastal belt.
The then Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had to himself rush to the scene to guide police to diffuse the situation as these violent protests enraged locals and situation could have gone out of control.
The charge sheet was prepared and filed by the Porvorim PI Jivba Dalvi. The had been registered against all the Nigerian national under section U /s 341, 143, 147, 148, 152, 153, 427, 504, 506, 323, 324, 307, 332, 353, 297 R/W 149 IPC, u/s 3 of Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act (PDPP Act)’ 1984 And Sec 8 (B) Of National Highway Act’ 1956.
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