Many of us will find it surprising to know in our Bangarachem Goa there have been 329 deaths of foreign nationals from 2005 to 2011 who had come to Goa for holidaying and enjoying the scenic beauty of our golden sand beaches and the panoramic beauty of Goa. Now families of 10 tourists who died in Goa wrote to PM Modi and want a panel headed by SC Judge to analyse into deaths of their kin. While this news may be a small matter for an average Goan, it is certainly not for the Government of Goa and more especially for the government of India.
Russians top the chart of foreign tourists in the State followed by the Britishers, but the maximum number of foreign tourists who died while holidaying in Goa were from UK. Many of us still remember how a teen Scarlet Keeling was found dead on Anjuna beach, in 2008 following which two persons were arrested for drugging and sexually abusing the teenager and leaving her to die on the beach. Some may have died of taking excessive dose of drugs and still some others may have had an accidental death and very lately in March 2017 a 28-year-old British was raped and murdered in Palolem beach at Canacona following which UK Foreign Office advised that “women should use caution when travelling in India as there have been reports of drinks being spiked and laced with drugs and British nationals being robbed, sexually assaulted and left to die”.
While it is the Constitutional propriety to ensure the safety and well-being of each and every foreign citizen while on the Indian soil, such deaths after rape are against the Universal Declarations of Human Rights adopted by the UN in 1948 as the 1st International Declaration that all human beings are entitled to fundamental rights and freedoms which must be respected and protected by all the nations of the world and our country India is a signatory to this Declaration.
The fact 10 families of the deceased foreign nationals have urged the PMO to analyse the deaths is a serious matter and sooner or later International Community may have to look into this matter especially of rape and murder with grave concern should the Government of India lag behind in taking appropriate steps to stop the deaths of foreign nationals in Goa.
