The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Goa has sharply criticised the BJP-led state government over the murder of Morjim resident Umakant Khot, alleging that the killing was carried out by land mafias involved in illegal hill cutting at Varchawada, Morjim.
In a strong statement issued on November 6, 2025, AAP accused the government of failing to maintain law and order and protecting those with political connections, allowing illegal land dealings to flourish across the state.
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A delegation led by AAP Working President Valmiki Naik submitted a memorandum to the Mandrem Police Station, demanding the immediate arrest of the main conspirators, including the landowner and buyer of the disputed property where the illegal activity was taking place.
Naik said, “In the last few weeks, Goa has witnessed repeated law and order failures. Goans are being beaten to death, and this BJP government is turning a blind eye. Umakant Khot was a legal tenant, yet his land was sold illegally. When he opposed the hill cutting, he was brutally killed. The government must act immediately.”
AAP Mandrem leader Prasad Shahpurkar warned that if arrests are not made soon, the party will lead a morcha to the police station along with villagers, demanding justice for Khot’s family.
Meanwhile, AAP leader Sunil Signapurkar alleged that land mafias have taken control of Goa, while the local MLA is engaged in land dealings instead of protecting people’s rights. He said the government has “completely failed to safeguard Goa’s land and its people.”
Condemning what she called a “pattern of political protection for the powerful,” AAP leader Suvarna Harmalkar cited earlier cases, including those of Rama Kankonkar and Edberg Pereira, accusing the government of shielding offenders. “The police act on political instructions instead of upholding justice,” she said.
AAP expressed condolences to Umakant Khot’s family and reiterated its demand for an impartial investigation, suspension of complicit officials, and arrest of all those involved in the illegal land sale and hill cutting.
The party concluded that the murder of Umakant Khot reflects the deepening law and order crisis in Goa, where “greed and political interference have replaced justice and humanity.”
