Mines dept protest: Goa Foundation director seeks pre-arrest

Goa Foundation director Claud Alvares today moved a local court for pre-arrest bail after he was summoned by the police probing the case of locking of the office of the State Mines and Geology department in May.

Alvares and another activist Rahul Basu had allegedly locked the office of the State Mines and Geology department claiming that it was a "source of illegalities in the mining sector".

Following the incident, Alvares and Basu were booked under various sections of the IPC for causing damage to public property, wrongful confinement, and obstruction to public servant while discharging his/her duty.

Notably, the supreme court had quashed renewal of 88 mining leases in the coastal state in February this year on a petition filed by the Goa Foundation.

The ban brought the mining industry to a halt since mid-March.

"We had summoned Alvares for investigation this evening but he has moved the district and sessions court in Panaji for anticipatory bail," Panaji Police Inspector Siddhanth Shirodkar told reporters.

Alvares had said that locking the department office was a symbolic protest.