Goa minister injured in stone pelting after unveiling Shivaji statue

Goa Minister Subhash Phal Desai on Monday said he was injured when a mob attacked him with stones after he unveiled a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at a village in South Goa.

There was heavy police presence in Sao Jose De Areal village near Margao town on Sunday after some people installed a statue of the Maratha king, while another group took objection.

Monday marked the 394th birth anniversary of the Maratha emperor, and events were held across the state to celebrate the occasion.

The stone pelting occurred in the afternoon when the minister was getting into his car after unveiling the statue.

Talking to PTI, the state social welfare minister said, “A mob opposing the installation of the statue pelted stones after I had a brief discussion with them in the village.”

Phal Desai said he was trying to handle the situation peacefully when the mob turned violent.

He claimed that stones were pelted at him when he was getting into his car, and he sustained a minor injury in the attack.

The Bharatiya Janata Party minister clarified that he would not file a police complaint to ensure communal harmony is maintained.

The statue is installed at a private property donated by a Muslim resident, he said.

"There was no objection from the land owner for installing the statue. Suddenly, some people, instigated by local leaders, including AAP MLA Cruz Silva, started behaving violently," Phal Desai claimed.

Silva, who was present at the scene, claimed that police resorted to lathi-charge, due to which a few of them were injured.

"There was an unprovoked lathi-charge by the police when the minister left the place. The injured were taken to South Goa District Hospital in Margao town,” Silva said.

He claimed the villagers had not opposed the statue, but the issue was about an approach road to the place where the structure was installed.

“The road passed through another private property, and the owners were not consulted," Silva alleged.

The AAP MLA alleged that permission was not sought from any authority to construct the approach road.

The owner of the land where the statue was installed had sought permission from the local panchayat to build a platform, but they had issued a stop-work order for the same, he said.

On Monday, the panchayat members went to inspect the site when the incident occurred, he said.

The AAP is ready to install a statue in the constituency, but only with proper legal permissions, Silva said.

Villagers of Sao Jose De Areal have been protesting against the installation of the statue since Sunday, and police were deployed in the area to maintain law and order.

"The situation is under control, and police personnel have been deployed in the village," Superintendent of Police (South) Sunita Sawant said.

Phal Desai, who visited the village on Sunday, had earlier said, "No one must have any objection to the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Some political forces are instigating locals against the installation of the statue.”

Taking to X on Monday, local BJP leader Savio Rodrigues said, "As an Indian Christian, I have the highest respect for the contribution of Chhatrapati Shivaji towards protecting our motherland. I am disappointed that some in Goa equate his sacrifices for our motherland as a point of contention to play their communal politics."

Shivaji was a hardcore nationalist, and every Indian must be inspired by him because of his immense valour and devotion to Bharat Mata, Rodrigues further said.