Accident Or Murder: The Fr Nenzil Mystery
Panjim, Goa (India):
Was he killed or was it a simple accident? That is the question that is still haunting Goans, two weeks after Fr Anton Nenzil, 76, director Pallotti Jyoti Niwas, St Vincent Pallotti Apostolic School, Guirdolim, Chandor, met with a tragic death near the Our Lady of Vailankanni chapel, Novavvado, Curtorim on August 31.
According to the post mortem report, “the cause of death being due to head and chest injuries consequent too blunt force impact in road traffic accident.’’
And according to Dr Silvano Dias Sapeco, professor and Head Forensic Medicine Department GMC, “such injuries do not occur if a person, traveling on a scooter hits a bump or a hole in the road. These injuries are identifiable if a person has a violent fall.’’
A combination of error led to this incident – narrow roads with sharp turns, no space to negotiate and two large vehicles trying to pass each other. The end result – a scooterist suffered the consequences – tragically.
Says Regina Fernandes, owner of Three Kings bar and restaurant, Novavaddo, Curtorim, while pointing out the spot where the incident occurred said, “the injured priest was found lying on his left side on the road bleeding profusely with his Vespa scooter a little ahead. In an attempt to avoid the oncoming traffic from the right was hemmed in with a vehicle trying to overtake from the rear, rode his scooter to the extreme left edge of the road. He may have lost his balance, front wheel got stuck in the narrow hollow gap between the tarred surface and the bushes at the left side of the road fell off the bike and hit the surface with force.’’
On close examination of the spot, it was noticed that the accident spot lies on a quiet, narrow village lane situated between Chandor and Margao.
The road has an extremely sharp curve, has an electricity pole outside a nearby bar that hampers the visibility of those heading towards Margao. Pedestrians too find it difficult to walk on the road.
Tony Fernandes, the Guirdolim deputy sarpanch, who has been arrested for the offence under Sec 279 and 304 (A) IPC and has been released on bail, claims that he is innocent and that he had stopped his WagonR vehicle when he recognised Fr Nenzil.
The police claim that they have evidence against Tony and that the inspection report of the two vehicles submitted by the service station shows marks made by the scooter. The exhibits have been sent to the Central Forensic Laboratory, Hyderabad for verification.
Rodrigues, who was driving towards Fatorda to service his WagonR behind Fr Nenzil, stopped on seeing the injured priest, to assist and with the help of Jose (alias Chenchen) Fernandes, took the priest to the Hospicio hospital.
Fernandes says: “I have been framed because when the doctors at the hospital asked for details to enter on the register. The scratch marks on the WagonR’s left hand rear door have been made previously by a rickshaw carrying PVC pipes that brushed against my vehicle when I was proceeding to Aldona earlier.”
And as the police run in circles and fingers are pointed the question still remains – who killed Fr Anton Nenzil?
-Gary Azavedo
Sept 17, 2005
http://oheraldo.in/node/4258
Panjim, Goa (India):
Was he killed or was it a simple accident? That is the question that is still haunting Goans, two weeks after Fr Anton Nenzil, 76, director Pallotti Jyoti Niwas, St Vincent Pallotti Apostolic School, Guirdolim, Chandor, met with a tragic death near the Our Lady of Vailankanni chapel, Novavvado, Curtorim on August 31.
According to the post mortem report, “the cause of death being due to head and chest injuries consequent too blunt force impact in road traffic accident.’’
And according to Dr Silvano Dias Sapeco, professor and Head Forensic Medicine Department GMC, “such injuries do not occur if a person, traveling on a scooter hits a bump or a hole in the road. These injuries are identifiable if a person has a violent fall.’’
A combination of error led to this incident – narrow roads with sharp turns, no space to negotiate and two large vehicles trying to pass each other. The end result – a scooterist suffered the consequences – tragically.
Says Regina Fernandes, owner of Three Kings bar and restaurant, Novavaddo, Curtorim, while pointing out the spot where the incident occurred said, “the injured priest was found lying on his left side on the road bleeding profusely with his Vespa scooter a little ahead. In an attempt to avoid the oncoming traffic from the right was hemmed in with a vehicle trying to overtake from the rear, rode his scooter to the extreme left edge of the road. He may have lost his balance, front wheel got stuck in the narrow hollow gap between the tarred surface and the bushes at the left side of the road fell off the bike and hit the surface with force.’’
On close examination of the spot, it was noticed that the accident spot lies on a quiet, narrow village lane situated between Chandor and Margao.
The road has an extremely sharp curve, has an electricity pole outside a nearby bar that hampers the visibility of those heading towards Margao. Pedestrians too find it difficult to walk on the road.
Tony Fernandes, the Guirdolim deputy sarpanch, who has been arrested for the offence under Sec 279 and 304 (A) IPC and has been released on bail, claims that he is innocent and that he had stopped his WagonR vehicle when he recognised Fr Nenzil.
The police claim that they have evidence against Tony and that the inspection report of the two vehicles submitted by the service station shows marks made by the scooter. The exhibits have been sent to the Central Forensic Laboratory, Hyderabad for verification.
Rodrigues, who was driving towards Fatorda to service his WagonR behind Fr Nenzil, stopped on seeing the injured priest, to assist and with the help of Jose (alias Chenchen) Fernandes, took the priest to the Hospicio hospital.
Fernandes says: “I have been framed because when the doctors at the hospital asked for details to enter on the register. The scratch marks on the WagonR’s left hand rear door have been made previously by a rickshaw carrying PVC pipes that brushed against my vehicle when I was proceeding to Aldona earlier.”
And as the police run in circles and fingers are pointed the question still remains – who killed Fr Anton Nenzil?
-Gary Azavedo
Sept 17, 2005
http://oheraldo.in/node/4258
