The Hindu : National : Panaji court frees MLA, wife on bail

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Panaji court frees MLA, wife on bail

Special Correspondent

PANAJI: The unattached MLA and former Minister Atanasio Monserrate, his wife Jennifer and three others, arrested in connection with Tuesday’s mob attack on the Panaji police station, were released on bail by a sessions court on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, Ms. Monserrate was admitted to the Goa Medical College hospital after a panel of doctors concluded that she needed to be treated for injuries. On Wednesday, when she was produced before the first class judicial magistrate’s court, Ms. Monserrate complained that the police beat her up before detaining her on Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, 10 ruling coalition MLAs, including some Ministers, raised with Chief Minister Digambar Kamat and Home Minister Ravi Naik the alleged police brutality against Mr. Monserrate and his family.

Sources in the government indicated on Thursday that while the top police officials seemed unanimous on pressing strong charges against Mr. Monserrate, the Chief Minister and the Home Minister were under political pressure to soft-pedal the police cases against the Taeligao MLA, who is supporting the Congress-led coalition government.

Two other cases

Mr. Monserrate is also involved in two other recent cases, of inciting assault on a Youth Congress morcha and a mob attack on the premises of the Rajiv Gandhi Information Technology habitat project coming up in his constituency.

Addressing presspersons later in the night, Mr. Monserrate demanded a judicial inquiry into Tuesday’s incidents. Denying his hand in the attack on the police station, he said he along with his supporters went there demanding justice for an innocent boy from his constituency, who was bashed up by goondas.

Alleging police brutality in which his bungalow and cars were also damaged in retaliation for the mob attack on the police station, the MLA said he would approach the Human Rights Commission and every other forum to seek justice.

Seeking to link Tuesday’s incidents to his opposition to the IT habitat project, Mr. Monserrate accused the IT lobby and Minister for IT Dayanand Narvekar of trying to frame him in the case.

Mr. Monserrate demanded that the Chief Minister take action against the police officers who “beat him up mercilessly” and picked up his son, who had nothing to do with the violence, from his residence on Tuesday night.

Planned attack: DGP

The DGP, however, denied the allegations of police brutality. He told the media that Mr. Monserrate’s attack on the police station was “pre-planned.”

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