Congress opposes FIR against Goa Church body over presence of children at anti-CAA rally

Defending the presence of children at an anti-CAA rally in Goa last month, for which an FIR has now been filed against the organising body — a Church-backed NGO — the Congress on Sunday asked whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Mann ki baat’ episodes similarly exposes students to political ideology too?

Addressing a press conference in Panaji at the state Congress headquarters, party spokesperson Trajano D’Mello also called the First Information Report filed against the Council for Social Justice and Peace, a Church-backed NGO, on January 30, as frivolous, saying it would not stand the test of law.

“The FIR filed against the organisers of the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act rally will not stand the test of law. Students are free to choose their ideology. The PM’s ‘Mann ki Baat’ lectures also contain political ideology. Does that merit an FIR too?” D’Mello said.

On Thursday (January 30), an FIR was filed against officials of the Council and the National Human Rights Organisation, for allowing minors to attend the anti-CAA rally held at the Lohia maidan in South Goa district.

The FIR was filed on the basis of a complaint filed by a city NGO Stop Child Abuse Now, which alleged that children present at the rally were exposed to “political ideology and aggresive language thereby subjecting the children to psyhological abuse and not providing safe environment".

The FIR was filed under relevant sections of the Goa Children’s Act, a special legislation in force in Goa which deals with crimes against children and the Juvenile Justice Act.

“The illegal action of the police to register an FIR against the organisers of the rally at Lohia Maidan in Margao on the basis of a frivolous complaint is highly condemnable,” the Congress spokesperson also said.