Chief Minis ter Pramod Sawant’s ex plosive assertion in the Goa Legislative Assembly that over 90 per cent of crimes in Goa are commit ted by migrants has ignit ed a debate over regional profiling. While some citizens have backed the gov ernment’s emphasis on tenant and labourer ver ification, others have questioned the basis of the 90 per cent figure and said crime should not be linked to an entire com munity without detailed official data. The statement was made during a discus sion on the State’s law and-order situation. Sawant said people com ing to Goa for employ ment were involved in offences including rob bery, rape and dacoity, and stressed the need for proper verification of tenants and workers as a preventive measure. Social activist Savio Coutinho said the issue of rising crime had once again come into focus following the recent firing incident at Porvorim. “The statement of Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant that the crime rate has gone up on ac count of migrants is ridic ulous and shameful. How can he justify this shoot ing incident by relating it to migrants?” Coutinho questioned. He argued that one of the major reasons for the rise in crime was the diversion of police personnel towards duties outside their core responsibilities. “The primary cause of the rise in crime is that the police are kept busy doing jobs contrary to their actual duty. Hence, they have less time to attend to and keep a tab on crime, which they are officially assigned to do,” he said. Margao resident Prashant Naik said tenant and worker verification was necessary but should be applied uniformly. “The government should certainly know who is living and working in Goa. But verification must apply to everyone and should not become a tool to label an entire community,” he said.
Another resident, Savio Fernandes, said the Chief Minister’s claim was serious and should be backed by official figures. “If more than 90 per cent of crimes are com mitted by migrants, the government should pub lish the data. People want to know the basis on which this percentage has been arrived at,” Fer nandes said. The issue came up after opposition members raised concerns over the State’s law-and-order situation. Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas ques tioned what further action the government pro posed after tenant and migrant-worker verifica tion. Citizens said verification by itself could not address the wider problem of crime. They called for stronger policing, quicker investigations, im proved surveillance and effective prosecution of offenders. “Whether the accused is a Goan or a migrant should not matter to the police.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
The person who commits the crime must be identified and pun ished,” said a retired police officer. At the same time, some residents supported the government’s verification initiative, par ticularly in view of the large number of workers and tenants entering Goa every year. They said landlords and employers should also be made responsible for ensuring that proper documen tation and verification are completed. Sawant’s latest statement has also revived memories of his earlier claim in May 2023 that around 90 per cent of crimes in Goa were com mitted by migrant labourers, with specific refer ence to workers from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and other States. Citizens said the recurring controversy should now move beyond political statements and fo cus on transparent and verifiable crime statis tics.
They suggested that the government place detailed figures before the Assembly, indicating the number of cases involving migrants, the na ture of offences, arrests, chargesheets and con victions. “Goa needs a serious conversation on crime. But that conversation must be based on facts and should not create fear or hostility against people who come here to earn a livelihood,” said another resident. With law and order emerging as a growing public concern, citizens said the government needed to strike a balance between security and verification on one hand and social harmony on the other, while ensuring that every offender, ir respective of origin, is dealt with strictly under the law.
