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Goa Church communal: Minorities panel member

Sandesh Prabhudesai in Panaji

The Goan Church is involved in creating communal tension and causing political destabilisation in the name of preserving environment, a member of the National Commission for Minorities has alleged.

Member John Joseph has submitted a report on the anti-Meta Strips agitation to the authorities at the Centre, making allegations against the Church.

Joseph prepared the report after visiting the state in the first week of April, when the agitation reached its peak. He was accompanied by Dr Vincent Panikulangara, Kerala-based Supreme Court lawyer, and an influential person in Church circles in India.

However, the Anti-Meta Strips Citizens Action Committee has alleged that Joesph and Dr Panikulangara were hired by Dr S R Jindal, CMD, House of Jindals, who is promoting the controversial copper processing plant worth Rs 300 crore. "They were not on an official visit," the AMCAC leaders claimed.

The hidden agenda behind the agitation is to cause political destabilisation by creating communal tension, using the Church, the report stated. The duo also observed that many priests, nuns and Church leaders were actively involved in the agitation, while the Church pool pit and resources were being used to promote the agitation.

While nuns are playing prominent role in dragging out women, the report stated that attacks on government and private vehicles were launched from Churches and road blockades were set up near religious institutions.

Joseph suspects the hand of business rivals and the underworld in financing and propagating the agitation while the ''local illiterate population is being misinformed and tuted unscientifically about the alleged pollution threat the project would cause''.

The Church has decided to react publicly to the allegations after studying the issue in-depth. "We will go to the press at the right time. Now we are studying it," said Fr Carmo Martins, a Church spokesman.

Though the project was closed by the government after agitating villagers blocked the national highway for three days, the Supreme Court ordered lifting of the closure. The government then appointed an expert committee to study the pollution angle.

Joseph and Dr Panikulangara were victims of the agitation when travelling from the airport in a vehicle owned by the Meta Strips, after meeting the chief minister. A mob allegedly wanted to burn their car and hold them hostages. They were reportedly released only after a local priest confirmed from Bishop House that they were not company personnel but commission members.

According to Joseph, they had met Chief Minister Francisco Sardinha, Archbishop Raul Gonsalves, AMCAC leaders, company officials as well as reputed public personalities, academicians and journalists, while trying to reach an amicable solution.

"Both were totally drunk when they met us," alleged AMCAC secretary Nelson Fernandes, adding that they misbehaved with women staff at a coastal hotel they were staying at, as guests of Dr Jindal.

Dismissing the report as totally fabricated at the behest of Dr Jindal, Fernandes claimed that the Church was merely supporting the people's movement. Joseph described it as more evidence of how vested interests, under the garb of environmental protection, were halting industrial development in various parts of the country.

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