Cong slams FIR against church body

Slamming the FIR filed against a church-backed NGO for the presence of children at an anti-CAA meeting in South Goa recently, the Congress in Goa on Sunday said that students should be free to choose their ideology.

Addressing a press conference in Panaji, Congress spokesperson Rohit Bras De Sa also said that children are equally exposed to political ideology when they listen to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's radio series 'Mann ki Baat'.

"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, which will never stand the scrutiny of law," Congress spokesperson Trajano D'Mello told reporters at the state Congress headquarters.

Another Congress spokesperson Rohit Bras De Sa, who was also present at the press conference, said that students are also exposed to ideology during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Mann ki baat' speech.

"By listening to 'Mann ki Baat' of the PM, students are also exposed to a political ideology. Should an FIR be filed on that count too?" De Sa said. 'Mann ki Baat' is a popular radio series featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

On January 30, the Goa Police filed a First Information Report against the Council for Social Justice and Peace and another human rights NGO under relevant sections of the Goa Children's Act and the Juvenile Justice Act for misusing children at the rally held on Jan 24 in South Goa district.

The FIR, based on a complaint filed by a Goa-based child rights NGO, said that the Council had "exposed children to political ideology and aggresive language thereby subjecting the children to psyhological abuse and not providing safe environment".

D'Mello said, that there was unrest among students in various educational institutions in Goa over the Citizenship Amendment Act, pointing out to a speech by a school student last month at a government function in which she lashed out at the CAA calling it legislation a "murder of democracya.

"And this was done at a function organised by the Director of Education to commemorate the foundation day of the Constitution in the presence of the Advocate General of the state... Will an FIR be filed against the Director of Education for permitting the expression of this innocent child?" D'Mello asked.

( With inputs from IANS )