The Mapusa fish market will remain closed on Wednesday in support of the five fisherwomen who are facing trouble because of a case filed by a Mapusa-based . The decision was taken by the entire fisher community as a mark of protest against the false complaints filed by RTI activist Jawahar Shetye. They plan to be present at the collector’s office and make their voices heard.
According to Shashikala Govekar, one of the fisherwomen, Shetye has filed a complaint at the collector’s office accusing them of troubling him. However, the fisherwomen claimed that they had previously filed a complaint against Shetye at the police station, but no necessary action was taken by the authorities. Govekar further stated that they would not leave him like this and would teach him a good lesson.
To show their unity and support towards their fellow fisherwomen, the entire fisher community decided to shut down the market on the day when Shetye asked the five accused women to be present at the collector’s office. They plan to be present at the collector’s office and make their voices heard.
The fisherwomen also allege that Shetye has been extorting money from them by assuring them to provide a place in the market. With the municipality already charging them 50 rupees, including 45 rupees for sopo and 5 rupees for garbage collection, they question Shetye’s authority to ask for additional money from them.
After further inquiry, one of the women who fell victim to the scam is from Maharashtra, Aronda. Shetye took advantage of her being an outsider. In addition to taking 5000 rupees from her and her fellow victims, he also asked for their Adhaar cards and promised to secure them a permanent spot in the market. He falsely presented himself as a representative of the municipality, adding credibility to his promises. However, his actions were manipulative and unethical, exploiting the vulnerability of these women for his own gain. With this move, the fisher community hopes to bring attention to the issue and demand justice for the five fisherwomen who have been unfairly targeted. They urge the authorities to take necessary action against Shetye and ensure that such false complaints and extortions do not take place in the future.