Audio Conversation between Mother of Fr Mahesh and Protester Goes Viral in Social Media
Udupi: An audio clipping of the conversation between the mother of Fr Mahesh D’Souza and another person has gone viral in the social media since November 3.
Around 600 parishioners protested outside the office of the parish priest at Shirva Church demanding a probe into the suicide of Fr Mahesh D’Souza, who was serving as principal of Don Bosco School. Fr D’Souza had allegedly committed suicide in the principal’s chamber on October 11.
The district Police Superintendent Nisha James who arrived at the spot of protest in the afternoon and clarified to the protesters saying “No one has filed a complaint that Fr Mahesh’s death was suspicious. The family members of Fr Mahesh have also not blamed anyone in this suicide case and have also requested the department not to continue the case. But the department is investigating the case and at the moment cannot reveal the details. Since the case is under investigation people should co-operate with the department”.
“The provisional post mortem report also revealed that it was a case of hanging. There is material physical evidence also of the priest himself carrying the rope for hanging. There is no interference and no criminal liability against anyone. The viscera samples have been sent to FSL regional office in Mangaluru. Only after the details are procured, the final post mortem report will be available,” the superintendent added.
Speaking further, Nisha James said, “The other evidence is that the priest’s two phones have been seized and are under investigation. Both mobile phones have been sent to FSL in Bengaluru. As the investigation is under progress, more details cannot be revealed.
”After that, a protester contacted by Fr Mahesh D’Souza’s mother through phone and said that we are protesting here at the Shirva Church premises to get justice to your son Mahesh D’Souza and asked if she had filed any complaint in the police station”.
Replying to him, Fr Mahesh’s mother said, “We had offered our son to our diocese and we will not proceed with this case but if you want to pursue the case you can proceed. Yes, he is our son and we have sympathy on our son. We don’t know what had happened with our son but we asked our bishop to give us justice within his limitations”.
She further said, “Fr Mahesh was working for the Diocese and senior priests should have taken care of him. We have told the bishop that we offered our son to you and we are not going forward in this case but you alone should provide us justice”.
The caller informed Fr Mahesh’s mother that they were planning to file a complaint, demanding a high-level probe into the case, so, will you support us?”.
She also said, “We will support the parishioners for their protest but will not sign any papers or documents. Because of our poor health condition, we cannot come anywhere and we have mentally suffered a lot after losing our son. We need justice from the diocese”.
Meanwhile, Fr Mahesh D’Souza’s brother who is abroad released a press statement to a section of the media about the case. Mangalorean.com has not received any official statement from the family members of Fr Mahesh D’Souza.
So the statement: “The family members of Fr Mahesh have also not blamed anyone in this suicide case and have also requested the department not to continue the case.” is NOT TRUE.
Instead, the mother said: “We will support the parishioners for their protest but will not sign any papers or documents. Because of our poor health condition, we cannot come anywhere and we have mentally suffered a lot after losing our son. We need justice from the diocese”