Court acquits 43 in 12-year-old Valpoi riot case

Panaji: A Vapoi court has acquitted 43 people in a 12-year-old incident of unlawful assembly, rioting and house trespass following the suicide of a boy. Three of the accused died during the course of trial.

According to the prosecution, they formed an unlawful assembly at Valpoi market, trespassed into the shop of the husband of the complainant and damaged goods there. The mob then trespassed into the tea stall of the brother-in-law and further damaged foods and four two-wheelers parked outside the shop. They dragged a freezer on to the road and damaged windows and showcase glasses.

The court stated that the prosecution failed to establish that the accused formed an unlawful assembly, committed mischief, trespassed and damaged articles and failed to prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubt. Although there are video clips, court stated that only on the basis of the video clips and when their creation is doubtful, the case of the prosecution was not proved.

The court also observed that the fridge and damaged scooters were not attached and that there's nothing on record to show the alleged damage stated by the complainant. The court observed that the video clip shows more than 100 people but that there's no explanation as to how only these 43 were charged, leaving aside other accused persons.