As Goa struggles to battle the rise in cases of COVID-19, and attempts to keep a declining economy from dropping further down, the law and order situation has thrown up new challenges to the State machinery. On Friday there was an attempted murder in Raia, where a person used a choppper to attack another. Even before people could read that bit of news in the morning papers, there was an early morning armed attack at the house of person at St Cruz. Six shots were fired even before the day could dawn and one person died. The viciousness of the attack can be confirmed by the damage to vehicles and property that was visible in daylight. The police have identified those involved and have described it as a gangwar.
It is not enough that those involved be identified and singled out. They should be arrested, and the government must send out a strong message that such lawlessness has no place in Goa. The law and order situation in the State cannot be compromised with. There are a number of questions that need to be answered as the fact that such an attack took place when the law enforcement machinery is on alert is a direct reflection of the capabilities of the police force. Ironically, since the death of DGP Pranab Nanda in December last year, Goa has been functioning without a fulltime Director General of Police. Has this led to a slackening of the force?
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When there is a night curfew in place, how did 10 persons manage to reach St Cruz without being stopped anywhere by the police and without being asked the reason for which they were travelling in the night, and also what was their destination? The attack took place at around 3am. Importantly, how did 10 people expect to travel with arms, attack a house and escape at a time when the police are meant to be on alert because of the curfew? They did all that. Is there no monitoring of curfew violations? Essential services and persons employed in such essential services are allowed to be out between the hours of 11pm and 5am. Shouldn’t the police be monitoring the other persons who are out on the streets?
Gang wars are not new to St Cruz. In the 1980s and early 1990s they were like a stigma attached to the village. It was Ravi Naik, who during his brief stint as Chief Minister, took some strong decsions to stop the strongarm tactics of the gangs. He succeeded in stopping the terror tactics and St Cruz lived peacefully for a long period after that. The attack of Saturday morning brings back unwanted memories of the past decades to the people of St Cruz and of Goa. They are unanimous in the fact that the police must put a stop to this. All they want is some peace in the village, without the fear of attacks.
This government has to act strongly to stop anti-social elements from taking the law into their hands. Gang wars have no place in any village in Goa. This now calls for a major cleanup. Is the government, with its police force, capable of rising to the occasion and clearing the streets of the gangsters? An attack of this nature would not have coccured had not the gangs believed that they could get away with it. This was a premeditated move that was well executed, except that the person who died was that of the attacking gang. Can the government assure the people that their safety is guaranteed? That is all what the people want. It is not too much to ask for.
