The Goa police did the unthinkable last week. In a rare display of hurt, anger, disappointment and concern, it sent an umbrage filled rejoinder to our editorial of January 31 – of all things – saying that the headline, “Goa is a policeless state” was “misleading and scary”.
The editorial was written on the day of the latest Vasco double murders, when the police reported that there was a break in by robbers who later killed two women in the house. The editorial, clearly, simply, emphatically commented on the sense of fear and helplessness of the people of Goa, with a spate of robberies, murders and break-ins.
The PRO of the Police Headquarters, obviously ordered by his seniors, made a mockery of analysing the editorial by relating it only to the incident of the Vasco break ins and the murder. The rejoinder dated February 12, sought to discredit the editorial to prove that what was written on January 30 (Jan 31 edition), with facts available then, was incorrect. “No robbers from outside entered the house and therefore the theory mentioned in the editorial is not correct. The murder was pre planned”, the ‘rejoinder’ stated. This is actually laughable. On January 30, it was the Vasco and state police, going by the statement of Pratima’, which said that robbers had broken into the house and gagged and killed Pratima’s mother and sister-in-law. The Vasco police had no clue it was pre-planned then.
The police then claim that the “Vasco double murder has been cracked in less than 48 hours”. Well, how difficult is it to ‘crack’ a case when the accused confesses the crime as soon as she is arrested?
The Goa police owes an explanation to the Herald why this rejoinder was sent and on what basis are the facts of the editorial incorrect. Herald, as it always does will take this to the people’s court and ask if the title of the editorial “Goa is a policeless state, is incorrect or not. The people of Goa will either give the Goa police, a rejoinder to their rejoinder to Herald. Or they will declare that the title of the editorial was incorrect. Depending on what the people’s verdict is, the party held guilty should publicly apologise. Is that a deal?
Meanwhile, it will be in the fitness of things to recount just a few incidents, which make Goa a policeless state
On December 3 Raj Gomes lay in hospital struggling for his life brutally wounded. His face and head were smashed with a stick, his eye injured badly, his skull fractured so intensely that parts of skull punctured his front brain. In the same hospital was his wife (55) cut in various places, as they defended themselves from robbers who broke into their Nuvem home, locked their daughter and son-in-law, and were ready to kill for their loot.
In July 2014, Francisca Miranda, a resident of Anuz-Nuvem, was robbed of her gold ornaments, besides cash of Rs 50,000, all amounting to Rs 3.20 lakh, She was gagged and tied by the two miscreants before looting her house of cash and gold ornaments, at 11.30 in the morning.
In December 2014, a senior citizen was assaulted before the miscreants escaped with the booty in the house of an Indian Bureau of Mines official.
Again towards the closing months of last year, a 77-year-old woman from the UK Patricia Hughes was robbed in her rented apartment in Cavelossim. That was followed by another daring burglary at Seraulim.
Only in South Goa, where the Vasco murders took place, which triggered off the so called ‘rejoinder” by the police, three hundred and twelve incidents of various kinds of robberies were recorded across the police stations of Margao (165 cases), Colva Police station (71) Maina Curtorim (49) and Cuncolim (27) in 2014. While the police are quick to take credit for more cases being registered, the question is how many of them are actually getting solved. Hence it is fair to assume that the same pool of robbers, are having a free run, fearless of the police. Hence Goa is a policeless state.
But it doesn’t end there. There have been times when the police have turned the other way when hapless victims – mainly women have begged for help against torture and rape. In Camurlim, a poor woman was brutally beaten, stripped and chilli powder stuffed in her genitals by her neighbours, including another woman who committed the crime. Her complaint was ignored for long by the Mapusa police
The list is long and endless. From not being there, to ignoring victims to not solving cases, the lower constabulary to the mid level force, in khaki has not been a real friend – in need or in deed.
We will leave you with a touch of supreme irony. The rejoinder to the Herald editorial sent by the Police PRO had this paragraph “it is obvious that the steps taken by the Goa police for the safety and security of citizens have instilled a sense of confidence and trust in them towards police (sic)”
Herald requests its readers to tell us what they make of such a claim and assertion. We suspect it won’t be very flattering for the Goa police.
