On the eve of Christmas 1986 during that Konkani agitation, the then Chief Minister Pratapsingh Rane had ordered my detention under the National Security Act (NSA). I was detained as I was on my way to attend the funeral of those Agacaim victims who were killed in a firing encounter.
Churchill Alemao’s brother late Ciabro and Victoria Fernandes’s son Rudolf and myself were all housed at the Aguada jail. It was a forced holiday for us at tax-payer’s expense, courtesy Pratapsingh Rane.
But we had a good time singing mandos and it was a ball. There was no dearth of choiced food and occasionally beers slipped in which further heightened our spirits.
One afternoon as we were having a sing song session the jailor came with a message that the High Court had ordered my release. In compliance with the directive, I had to reluctantly leave and my holiday was abruptly cut short. Ciabro and Rudolf were luckier and were able to spend a couple more days holidaying till their release was ordered.
