German woman seeks to withdraw complaint

NT NETWORK
Posted on 2008-11-10
PANAJI- In a significant development the German woman who had accused Mr Rohit Monserrate, the son of the Education Minister, Mr Atanasio Monserrate, of sexually abusing her minor daughter has written to the Calangute police seeking to withdraw the case.
The mother’s legal counsel, Mr Aires Rodrigues confirmed this while talking to ‘The Navhind Times’ and elaborated that in the letter the mother claimed that the system had failed her, she has become a victim of the system and so in the prevailing circumstances she had decided not to proceed with the case.
He also said that they would be meeting the Governor, Dr S S Siddhu on Monday morning and they would be handing over all relevant documents to him and after that would be giving all details.
However, when the mother was approached, she refused to make any comment. Meanwhile, the German Consul, Mr Walter Stechel, who is in Goa said that he had heard some rumours about this development but had no official confirmation as yet, but “Would definitely follow this up.”
“I am definitely going to request for the relevant information,” he told the media. He had earlier told the media that the Consulate’s job was to look after the safety and security of their citizens and they were not interfering in the case but following up on it. “I have written a letter to the Chief Secretary where I requested that the safety of the German lady be looked after” and said that he had been assured by the Goa government that the necessary steps would be taken irrespective of the persons involved. He also said that he had met the Governor on Sunday on a personal call. When pressed for details about the meet, he said that they had covered a variety of areas of mutual interest.
Meanwhile Mr Rodrigues, giving details on his visit to the Governor said that the 5-member delegation of ‘Utt Goenkara’ will call on Dr Sidhu at the Raj Bhavan on Monday at 11.50 a.m. to demand that the Chief Minister, Mr Digambar Kamat be “immediately sacked for giving the green signal for the October 13 assault on Mr Aires Rodrigues and Mr Prajal Sakhardande.”
It may be recalled that Mr Rohit, the 21-year-old son of Mr Atanasio Monserrate had been booked by the police for the rape of 14-year-old German girl after the girl’s mother complained to the police that Mr Rohit had sexually abused and harassed her 14-year-old daughter.
Mr Rohit had also been booked with outraging modesty, sending obscene SMS, abetment to crime and crime under Goa Children Act by the Goa Police. The mother, allegedly a researcher on Indian mythologies, based in Goa on the long-term visa, had on October 2 filed a complaint with the Calangute police station against Mr Rohit.
She had also claimed that on October 3, one day after the complaint was filed against Mr Rohit, his mother Ms Jennifer Monserate had visited her, imploring her to withdraw the complaint.
Mr Rohit is in custody till November 10 as the Children’s Court has fixed the hearing on his bail application on Monday. On November 5 Mr Rohit was sent to three-day police custody by Judicial Magistrate First Class Mapusa after he had surrendered before the Calangute police on November 4.