NIGERIAN NIGHTMARE

TEAM HERALD

PORVORIM/PANJIM/CALANGUTE: The murder of a Nigerian man at Parra late Wednesday night sparked off violent clashes in Porvorim on Thursday, when a large number of armed Nigerian rioters ran amuck and attacked policemen, damaged a police hearse van and other property, while also blocking the national highway outside the O’Coqueiro restaurant for nearly three hours.

While large police reinforcements were dispatched to control the highly charged situation, which rapidly turned into a battle zone, the policemen and their officials remained mute spectators. The situation came under some control only when Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar rushed to the site and personally took control of the volatile situation by ordering the police force to restore law and order in the area.

Furious over the behaviour of the Nigerians, an irate mob then mercilessly assaulted two Nigerian nationals, while police later detained about 53 Nigerians in the clashes.

The highway was blocked three times during the day, severely inconveniencing hundreds of local and inter-state motorists.

In a late night development, around 150 locals had gathered at Wadakade, Soccoro protesting the incident and the Porvorim police rounded up three more Nigerians even as the situation remained tensed. 

The high tension drama on Thursday first unfolded at Parra, when the police had gone to investigate into the murder of a Nigerian youth, who was found brutally murdered on Wednesday night. The Nigerians had gathered in large numbers outside the crime scene and blocked the Goa Police Hearse Van from leaving with the body to the GMC hospital Bambolim, despite requests from the Goa police and government officials.

The aggrieved Nigerians insisted on the immediate arrest of the culprits as well as the presence of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar at the site to address their grievances.

Unhappy that no one was responding to their demands, the Nigerians then blocked the Parra road leading to Parra Church and Anjuna-Vagator. The Nigerians were seen threatening locals, the police and media persons, but the Goa Police remained silent spectators to the flash protest.

Finally, the Goa Police cordoned off the area and managed to move the Police Hearse van from the site and proceeded towards the GMC, via Guirim and Porvorim.

Furious that the police had ignored their demands for the immediate arrest of the accused in the murder, a group of Nigerians chased the Police Hearse van and intercepted the vehicle outside the O’Coqueiro restaurant.

A large number of Nigerians quickly gathered at the site and armed with sticks, the Nigerians smashed the window panes of the Police Hearse van, before removing the body from the vehicle and placing it on the road. They also threw away the road divider barricades and blocked the traffic along the highway.

As the situation quickly turned tense, police teams from all across the State, including Porvorim, Mapusa, Calangute, Old Goa, Ponda and Panjim, were dispatched to the site.

Senior government and police officials, including DIG KK Vyas, also rushed to the scene, but they did nothing to control the irate group of Nigerians. The police also took little note of a tip by a Herald reporter, who had alerted them regarding the movement of a number of other Nigerians towards the site.

Law enforcement agencies got their act together only when Parrikar took control of the situation when he inspected the site.

Parrikar ordered the police force to take charge the situation and the police managed to shift the body of the Nigerian to the GMC hospital at Bambolim, besides resuming traffic along the highway. A number of Nigerians fled from the site by that time.

Speaking to Herald at the site, Bardez Deputy Collector Sabhaji Shetye said: “The Nigerians were demanding the arrest of the culprit in the murder of their fellow Nigerian at Parra, before sending the body for a post mortem.”

DIG Vyas stated that the police had noted down the names of the Nigerians who had created the ruckus and had damaged the vehicles.

“Strict action will be taken against them. They will not be allowed to leave the country,” said DIG Vyas.

Justifying the decision of the police to remain silent spectators to the clashes, ANC SP Karthik Kashyap claimed that the police had, in fact, exercised restraint.

“Had the police taken action against the Nigerians, there was a possibility of them (Nigerians) turning violent and further damaging public property,” said SP Kashyap.

After the body was taken to the GMC, police cleared the traffic along the highway but locals who had gathered at the site were outraged that the policemen, who had outnumbered the Nigerians, were unable to control the rampage of the Nigerians.

Demanding the immediate arrest of the Nigerians who responsible for the clashes and for blocking the highway for almost three hours.

“The handful of Nigerians took law into their hand, blocked traffic for nearly three hours and even damaged public property right in front of a large police presence. But the police did not take any action against the Nigerians. This is the sorry state of affairs within the police force. Police are unable to handle such situations with ‘lathis’ and they should be given guns to tackle such law and order situation,” remarked an eyewitness, Anand Tulasker.

Upset with the police for failing to arrest the Nigerians at the site, locals then blocked the highway for the second time in protest. Some locals noticed some Nigerians proceeding towards Panjim and tried to stop them. They caught hold of two Nigerians and mercilessly assaulted them in front of the police.

The severely bleeding Nigerians were later shifted to GMC hospital for treatment.

Later in the evening, an angry Porvorim MLA Rohan Khaunte and his supporters blocked the highway for the third time to demand the transfer of North Goa SP Priyanka Kashyap for failing to effectively handle the situation.

“SP Kashyap used the filthy and abusive language against the locals. She should be transferred as she failed to handle the situation in Porvorim”, he said.

With Khaunte and his supporters refusing to disperse from the highway, DIG Vyas went to the spot and assured the locals that necessary action would be taken against the Nigerians.

Khaunte along with DIG Vyas later proceeded to the secretariat to meet the chief minister and traffic was finally restored at about 4.45 pm.