23-year-old Goa student kills self after garbage dumping video goes viral, followed by FIR

PANAJI: A 23-year-old college student from Goa’s Mapusa allegedly shot himself dead Friday, hours after a purported video of him throwing garbage along a roadside went viral and resulted in an FIR.

Chief minister Pramod Sawant said he would order an inquiry into the death of Samuel de Braganca, who lived with his mother and two sisters and had just completed second year of graduation.

A citizen recorded the video of Braganca allegedly dumping the garbage on Thursday. In the video, the citizen was seen requesting him to remove the garbage, telling him he would delete the clip if he did so.

Mapusa SP Salim Shaikh said police took note of the video and received a complaint about the garbage, leading to the FIR under Goa Non-Biodegradable Garbage (Control) Act. The FIR states that Braganca “knowingly, negligently, and unlawfully” littered a public place, creating nuisance and health hazards, besides endangering public safety and sanitation.

“As per the Act, an accused usually has to pay fines. There is also a provision for imprisonment. We called him (Braganca) to the police station. He was served notice and allowed to go home,” said Shaikh.

Braganca’s mother and one of his sisters also came to the police station and later left together, the SP added.

Around 1.30am on Friday, the cops got a call about firing in the family’s home. Cops went to Braganca’s home and found he had shot himself in the bathroom, Shaikh said. A probe is on to trace the gun’s source.