AFTER creating a law and order situation throughout Goa with massive protests and demonstrations against the remarks of the former RSS chief of Goa, Subhash Velingkar, asking for a DNA test to be conducted on the sacred remains of Saint Francis Xavier — known as Goencho Saiba — the accused presented himself at the Bicholim police station to record his statement before 5 pm on October 10, a Thursday.
He coolly walked into the Bicholim police station without much fuss, and later while entering his car, was allegedly heard being addressed as “Sir” by what appeared to be a police constable in a video. This could not be confirmed from the video which is unclear.
If this is correct, this is reprehensible. There was a small group of Velingkar’s supporters who had gathered outside the Bicholim police station in his support. It appears that Subhash Velingkar was probably hiding in the home of one of his supporters, who becomes an accessory to a crime and should also be arrested for helping a fugitive to flee from the law.

THIRD NOTICE
WHAT is even more astounding is that Subhash Velingkar said he did not receive the earlier two notices pasted on the door of his Panjim home and office and received the third notice to which he responded. The point to be made is that if the Goa Police wanted to do so, they could easily have traced where Subhash Velingkar was hiding and immediately arrested him. It appears that after his statement was recorded, the investigating officer told the single judge bench of the Bombay High Court at Goa that arrest is not necessary as the accused person is co-operating with the police.
After this report is submitted the High Court will have no option but to grant Subhash Velingkar anticipatory bail, so that he will be allowed to remain free after his remarks which created a furore among Goans who venerate saint Francis Xavier as their patron saint. What is condemnable is that this is not the first time Subhash Velingkar has made such inflammatory statements against St Francis Xavier.

HABITUAL PROVOCATOR
ON an earlier occasion, he has said that the title of “Goencho Saiba” should be conferred on Parshuram and not on St Francis Xavier. However, this statement did not evoke much of a reaction.
Even after several police complaints were filed against him and he had absconded, Subhash Velingkar allegedly gave an interview to a reporter in which he is seen stating that he had asked for a DNA test to “promote scientific temper” among the people. He said in his video that he had not intended to hurt the sentiments of the Goan people but that he enjoyed the right to freedom of speech.
WHAT Velingkar has conveniently forgotten is that the right to freedom of speech and expression is circumscribed by eight reasonable restrictions which include security of the state, public order, defamation, and incitement to an offence. It appears he has transgressed all these heads and violated the provisions of the BNSS, by creating a law and order problem within Goa with huge mobs of people coming on the streets to protest against his deplorable remarks.
And if the reporter knew the whereabouts of Subhash Velingkar, the police could have summoned this reporter to ask him to reveal his location. That the Goa Police deliberately did not do so reveals the Goa Police are either corrupt or incompetent.
Activists like Claude Alvares and Dr Oscar Rebello appealed to Goans to return to their homes, by making a video and circulating it on WhatsApp, in which Claude Alvares is seen and heard saying he has the greatest of respect for “Dr Subhash Velingkar,” whom he said was a “personal friend” and a “respected professor” and he opined that Subhash Velingkar should withdraw his remarks.

CONDITIONAL APOLOGY
HOWEVER, Subhash Velingkar has not withdrawn his remarks, although in one of his videos, he is heard saying: “If I have hurt the feelings of Goans, I apologize.” This appears to be a laconic and insincere apology. Be that as it may, the former RSS chief who broke away from his seniors in Nagpur to float his own political outfit, has not won a single seat nor does his political party have a single MLA in the 40-member Goa assembly.
What appears to be likely is that after the high court grants him anticipatory bail, the matter will cease to interest the people and the Goa Police will allow the case to die a natural death. After all, it is well known that the top police officers do appease the politicians and after the shunting out of the former DGP, Jaspal Singh, and the dragging on of a case where a former IGP demanded Rs5 lakh from a meat trader Munnalal Halwai, the corrupt and inefficient Goa Police will not pursue this case sincerely.