Panaji: Congress MLA Atanasio Monserratte in his anticipatory bail petition has claimed that ladies, including the one who had alleged molestation, was trying to assault city corporators, media persons and workers of civic body, when he arrived at the scene.
Monserratte along with Corporation of City of Panaji Mayor Uday Madkaikar and former Mayor Yatin Parekh were booked on Friday for molesting the woman during the drive held to demolish illegal staircase of a casino operator in Panaji.
Panaji MLA has moved anticipatory bail petition before Principal Sessions Judge Irshad Agha on Saturday. In his application, Monserratte has said as he is the MLA of Panaji constituency, he intervened in the matter and tried to convince and request the ladies, who were involved in an argument with the CCP workers, not to interfere with the duty of the government officials (CCP) officers and disburse from the scene.
“Howver, the said ladies were not ready to listen and tried to assault the corporators, media persons and staff of CCP who were present there,” he said.
Monserratte has submitted to the court that the complainant was one of the ladies who were creating commotion and suddenly when the application was talking with other ladies, she started arguing with the applicant and accused him of taking bribe from casino owners and also abused him with filthy words.
Monserratte said that the lady who has filed complaint against him was self-proclaimed social activist and is posting several videos of her on social media while discussing social issues and apparently an attention seeker.
The Panaji MLA said that he is not involved in the said crime and has been falsely implicated in the it by the complainant without any rhyme or reason.
On Friday, the Corporation of City of Panaji (CCP) has undertaken a drive to clear encroachments of off-shore casinos anchored in the river Mandovi.
One of the off shore casino had allegedly encroached on a footpath and workers of the civic body had gone to the spot Friday to clear it. Monserratte, Madkaikar and Parekh were accompanying them.
The complainant woman, who was part of the group which opposed the demolition of a staircase constructed by the off shore casino operator, alleged that all three touched her inappropriately, abused her and outraged her modesty, police said.
“In her complaint lodged late last night, the woman also alleged that all the accused threatened to kill her,” Panaji police sub inspector Arun Gawas Desai said.
Based on her complaint the trio was booked under IPC sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman, police said.
