Bismarque Dias’s family seeks CBI probe

PANAJI: The family of deceased activist Bismarque Dias, have sought a CBI probe into the latter’s death. Dias’ brother, Mario said that they will fight for justice. “We want CBI to investigate the case,” he told reporters on Friday.


The demand comes almost a fortnight after the crime branch of the Goa police, which was conducting investigations for nearly a year in the case , filed a closure report stating there is no evidence to show that the death was a murder. The crime branch had concluded that the death was accidental.

“How could the police close the case before the doctor examined Dias’ body,” Mario said.

Noted singer Hema Sardesai said the crime branch should conduct lie detector tests on the two boys who were last seen with Dias as they have turned major now.

The committee, constituted to explore the feasibility of another postmortem on Dias’ body, had stated that the corpse is unfit for further autopsy examination, but had also stated that a radiology examination is feasible.

Dr Dinesh Rao, who represented the family while inspecting the body, said, “Due to non-availability of the chemical analysis report cause of death and a diatom study report till date, it is unlikely to understand the death process in the case. Hence, the investigation officer should use his professional skills and wisdom and make all necessary arrangements to conclude the case of death and manner of death before handing over the body, as this is a vital document to proceed with for the future course of trial in this suspicious death case. I would also like to raise my concern with the second autopsy as it was conducted by the doctors of the same department.”

When asked, SP (crime) Karthik Kashyap said, “The diatom, DNA, viscera and other reports were provided to the doctors at Goa Medical College and Hospital, and the doctors had stated the final cause of death was drowning.”

“Rao has no business to comment as nobody has asked his opinion on the cause of death. The court had constituted the committee purely to decide whether postmortem can be again conducted,” he said.

When asked about Sardesai’s demand for a lie detector test of the boys, Kashyap said, “The court rejected our request for a test on the boys as one had an unsound mind and the other was minor.” When a person is minor at the time of crime, the court continues to treat him as a minor even if he or she turns major, the SP said.