Died in 2015, Goa priest finally laid to rest after three yrs

Priest-turned-activist Fr Bismarque Dias, whose death in 2015 had triggered allegations of foul play, was finally buried Sunday in his ancestral St Estevam village in Goa, after his family members agreed to lay him to rest.

Fr Dias, then 52-year-old, was found dead in the Mandovi river in the village in North Goa, around 20 kms from here, on the intervening night of November 5 and 6, 2015.

While his family members and friends had raised suspicion over the "mysterious circumstances" surrounding his death, the crime branch had concluded that the priest died due to drowning.

Fr Dias, who was an expert swimmer, was at the forefront of several agitations for the cause of environment.

He had opposed the Golf Course project of a seven-star hotel at Terekhol village in North Goa.

Demanding a "proper probe" into the death of the priest, his family members had refused to accept his mortal remains which were preserved in a morgue at the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) near here.

The family members finally agreed to bury the remains of the priest on November 4 which happens to be his Birthday, his family sources said here Tuesday.

The corpse was brought to his ancestral village Sunday morning and was kept at St Estevam Church for final prayers.

Fr Dias was buried in the cemetery near the church, with hundreds of people attending the funeral.

Father Eusico Pereira, the Parish priest of St Estevam Church, hailed the departed activist for his efforts in saving environment.