Recognise pillory as only surviving sign of Inquisition: Velingkar

Panaji: After an academic submitted his objection to the directorate of archaeology’s notification naming the ‘Pelourinho Novo’ pillory at Old Goa as ‘Hath Katro Khamb’, Subhash Velingkar, convener of the Hindu Raksha Maha Aghadi, demanded the pillory be shifted to a “safe place” at Old Goa and labelled as the only surviving sign of the Portuguese Inquisition in Goa.

“Hath Katro Khamb should be in a safe place in the Inquisition area (Old Goa) where the public can see it because it is the only witness to the Inquisition at present. We demand that govt erect a grand and appropriate memorial at the site of the ‘Palace of Inquisition’ in memory of the victims,” Velingkar said.

He demanded that the ‘bone well site’ where the ASI museum stands today at Old Goa should also be excavated “and a durable cement information board should be erected around it to make the place clearly visible”.

“We appeal to Goa govt to immediately accept these demands so that the real history of Goa is known to tourists as well as to the future generations,” Velingkar said.

He said that certain historians have objected to the renaming of the pillory as ‘Hath Katro Khamb’, when it is the only remaining witness “to the demonic acts committed in Goa by the Portuguese and the clergy through the Inquisition in the Old Goa area”.

“The historical ‘well of bones’ is where the bones of our Goan ancestors who were victims of the persecution of the Inquisition were buried in front of the Se Cathedral. When (ASI archaeologist) K K Mohammed initiated excavations, then Congress govt banned the works due to objections,” said Velingkar.