Panaji: A Valpoi court has directed 39 Melaulim villagers and activists involved in the Jan 2021 protests against IIT to remain present before the sessions court, North Goa, on Sept 11.The villagers and activists had clashed with police over the setting up of the IIT-Goa campus at Melaulim, leaving several persons, including police personnel, injured. They have been charged with offences of attempt to murder, voluntarily causing grievous hurt to deter a public servant from his duty, and under the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act. 1984.According to the prosecution, the accused, who include Vishwesh Parab, Shailendra Velingkar, Manoj Parab, Rama Kankonkar, Rohan Kalangutkar, Amarnath Panjikar, and others, formed an unlawful assembly armed with deadly weapons like stones, dandas, coitas, and restricted movement of police staff, civil administration staff, SDM Sattari and the survey team, and did not allow them to conduct the survey.The prosecution also said they pelted stones on public staff, the survey team, and civil staff, and assaulted them with dandas and coitas, causing simple and grievous injury to police staff and also damaging the cops’ protective shields and helmets.The prosecution alleged that the assault was pre-planned and that some accused also blocked the main road restricting traffic, marched to Valpoi police station, and threatened to damage govt property and cause injury to staff. The Valpoi JMFC committed the case to the sessions court, North Goa, Panaji, as it lacks jurisdiction to try matters under offences of attempt to murder and voluntarily causing grievous hurt to deter public servant form his duty, which are exclusively triable by the court of sessions.
