Barely days af ter Chief Minister Pramod Sawant assured that cases against Section 39A protest ers would not be pursued, the state has begun issuing notices to activists and op position leaders — trigger ing allegations of a political witch-hunt. Notices have been served on several individuals in con nection with last week’s pro test in Panjim, even though the demonstration was with drawn following assurances from the government.
Protesters now allege that the administration has gone back on its word. Speaking outside the Panjim Police Station, Advocate Amit Palekar, who represents many of those summoned, questioned what he described as selective targeting. “There is one FIR, yet people are being selectively called. Some were summoned yesterday, others today. Some have been asked to appear at Old Goa and other police stations. How can this be done?” Palekar asked. Calling the police action improper, he added: “This is a State complaint alleging unlawful assembly and blocking roads for eight hours. If anyone receives a notice, they should appear only at the Panjim Police Station.” At the heart of the agitation is Section 39A, which pro testers allege enables controversial land conversions in villages across Goa. Palekar made it clear that the issue ex tends beyond a single constituency. “The fight will not stop merely by revoking the permis sion granted in the St Andre constituency. The issue will not be resolved unless the section is repealed. In fact, the police escalated the protest. It was withdrawn based on the assurances given by the Chief Minister,” he said. Activist Chetan Kamat, who received a notices around 7.30 pm, said he immediately informed his lawyer. “The allegation is that we marched from the city to the Minister’s bungalow. We are ready to face the case if it is necessary to protect Goenkarpon,” he said. Congress leader Samil Volvoikar, who has also been named in the FIR, termed the move politically motivated. “We are ready to face even 100 such cases to protect the identity of the state. The more the BJP government tries to suppress our voices, the stronger our resolve will become. The people of Goa will support us,” he said, calling the ac tion a political conspiracy. The FIR reportedly names nearly 1,500 unidentified persons for alleged unlawful assembly, marching to wards Minister Rane’s residence and blocking roads — a sweeping move critics say is intended to intimidate dis sent.
