ANJUNA: For 72 hours Herald reported and asked the Anjuna Police and higher officials to take action and arrest those who the Herald reporter accused of threatening and abusing her and a colleague for doing their duty of reporting of rampant noise pollution and violation and purported contempt of High Court orders, in curbing noise pollution.
On Tuesday the special sessions court gave the accused persons in the attack on reporters’ case ad interim bail of Rs 10,000 with one surety
The accused persons are Antonio Menino Fernandes, Alex Cavin Fernandes and Norman Oswin Pinto. The accused have been directed to report to Anjuna Police Station and directed not to interfere with the complainant or witness and shall co-operate with the investigations.
HERALD ASKS
Since the three accused are locals who the police know, why were they not arrested for 72 hours, giving them an opportunity (as is their right by law) to move court and seek interim bail?
Herald reporter Asmita Polji went within an hour of the incident on Saturday, to lodge her complaint and showed the video of the accused threatening and abusing her and a reporting colleague from Goemkarponn online.
Even then, it took 48 hours for the Anjuna Police to declare the names of the three accused persons. Two out of three accused are locals, Antonio Menino Fernandes and Alex Cavin Fernandes live in Anjuna while Norman Oswin Pinto is a Mapusa resident.
Politics must be kept away from policing so that the powerless get same ‘justice’ as powerful
Martin Luther King had said, “The arch of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice.” While this has been one of history’s most inspiring quotes, its significance lies in the Goa of today, especially when a re-elected government is making a fresh start.
The arc of morality does bend towards justice but it cannot happen on its own. The State has to play its part in ensuring this or the people will. At the same time, this justice must be available both to the powerful, but more importantly, to the powerless.
The State has to provide refuge as well as hope to those who are facing injustice in hands of the powerful.
Take for instance the locals of Anjuna who live near the beach who are seeing the complete takeover of their sleepy village by hotels, nightclubs, and bars that literally have their own rules and their own rule of law. This is what allows them to even flout High Court orders on noise pollution and not even be bothered about the local police as they carry out underhand activities and play music of several decibels higher than permitted causing extreme stress and hardship to local residents, including the sick and the elderly.
Their complaints had no responses like beating against a cold wall. They then turned to Herald to highlight their plight which Herald set out to do. Quite obviously those taking the law into their own hands were rattled and nervous which is why their outburst against Herald and another reporter on the spot.
THREATS AND ABUSES WILL NOT MAKE HERALD STOP ITS WORK
For Herald the choice is clear. What do the simple locals who are being harassed daily want? Are they being given justice? Is the law working in their favour? If the answer to these is not positive, Herald will neither compromise nor slow down its quest for justice through its pen.
The current BJP government too will want justice to prevail for the common man. Herald reporter Asmita Polji backed by Herald fully stood by the common man lodging a complaint and demanding the accused get arrested. This is because High Court orders are being flouted on one hand and on the other; those breaking the law have become powerful and seem to control even the law and order machinery.
The BJP is expected to pursue this and make the arch of justice bend towards the common folk of Anjuna who are not as powerful as the accused who dare to threaten and abuse journalists.
At the same time, in the long run, justice in the law-and-order system will happen when politics is kept away from policing. Make policing professional by letting the uniformed force do its job and take their own decisions on transfers and posting and assigning key responsibilities. The moment any government, and hopefully the Sawant government will do that, makes the police not a political force but a professional force, the powerless will become powerful and the politically powerful will have to bow down to the majesty of the law.
If the BJP government does this, it will endear itself to the people who will not have to come to the streets to protest but will work with the government for a better, safer Goa.
