The Bombay High Court on Tuesday directed state authorities to ensure proper security and take all necessary steps so that the Mormugao Port Authority (MPA) can remove or dismantle a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The statue was allegedly put up forcefully on the port authority’s land in February, according to a report by The Indian Express.
The MPA had moved the High Court, claiming that some people entered its land illegally at Sada junction on February 16 and installed a permanent statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The authority asked the court to order its removal, the report mentioned.
Allegations of political involvement in statue unveiling
The MPA told the court that a large crowd, including the MLA of Mormugao, allegedly entered its property and held a grand event to unveil the statue on February 19. It said authorities were “fully aware that the local MLA, Sankalp Amonkar and other councillors and political figures from the area were involved in the incident of erection of the statue on February 16 and thereafter in the unveiling of the statue on February 19 at 19.30 hours and yet did not intervene” despite multiple complaints, as per the report.
It further said that even after at least two complaints were filed with the police, no steps were taken to stop people from entering the land or continuing construction. The MPA claimed that although authorities expected a possible law and order issue at the site, neither the police nor the Sub-Divisional Magistrate acted to stop the work, it added.
‘Providing adequate police force’: Court directs authorities to assist MPA
“All necessary assistance, including by providing adequate police force and/or by issuing such other prohibitory orders that they deem fit around the Headland Sada Junction, to enable the Mormugao Port Authority to restrain any persons from further encroaching on its property, and to enable the Mormugao Port Authority to remove, dismantle or demolish the statue, pedestal and all other structures constructed on the junction to beautify the area,” IE reported quoting an order of bench of Justices Amit S Jamsandekar and Valmiki Menezes.
Expressing disbelief over how the incident unfolded, the court said, “It is absolutely unbelievable that such a large gathering could have been allowed on the port land, and the forcible construction and unveiling of the statue on such land be held without any knowledge of the police inspector of Mormugao or Bogda Police Station, the sub divisional police officer Vasco, the mamlatdar of Mormugao, the SDM of Mormugao and both the Superintendent of the Police and the Collector of South Goa. If this be so, there is a complete failure of the executive structure in South Goa District and in Mormugao Taluka in relation to the incident”.
The court also noted that based on concerns raised earlier by the local police inspector on February 17, “that the intention to forcibly trespass on to the port land at the Sada junction and to install the statue and unveil it was surely known to all the authorities,” the report added.