Team Herald
ANJUNA: Asmita Polji, Herald’s North Goa reporter, on official duty covering a story on endless complaints by local Goan residents of Anjuna against the menace of never-ending noise and disturbance due to loud music played by a cluster of bars, was threatened and abused menacingly by a group of people.
The feisty Herald reporter who filmed the incident and went close to the goons who were threatening another male reporter of a web-based media house, has shared the video with the authorities.
Herald was legally advised not to publish screenshots of the video at this stage or run the video without necessary protocols. Herald will not only participate in the investigation to bring those who even dare to block the press from doing its work but will dig deep to investigate why this group resorted to violence and threats because the press was doing its duty to cover genuine people’s complaints.
It is also understood that this group openly boasts of having a ‘God Father’. But Herald will be a watchdog to ensure that the Anjuna police follow only two Godfathers – the law and the people.
The incident occurred on Saturday at around 6.20pm when the two reporters after meeting the residents of St Anthony Praias Vaddo in Anjuna were returning. Here three persons first stop the journalist of Goenkarponn and asked why he had clicked photos of the bar and hotel and further threatened him saying they (trio) know him and they would come to his house and that the reporter should be prepared for dire consequences.
When the Herald reporter Asmita Polji started taking the video of them threatening, they (trio) moved towards the Herald reporter using abusive language and further threatened her. After this the two reporters rushed to Anjuna police station and lodged an FIR against the three persons.
When the reporters were covering the news story, the three persons had been standing at the entrance of the bar and restaurant and appeared to be waiting for the reporters to leave before accosting them.
It also seemed that the people working at this bar and restaurant and the three accused persons had targeted the house of the person who had filed complaints against them of noise pollution and were keeping eye on the movement of the residents.
The complaint was lodged against three unknown accused persons who were in their 50s, have tattoos on their bodies and rough looking. Sources said that one of the accused people is a history-sheeter and is out on bail.
While the reporters lodged a complaint in the presence of duty officer LPSI Sneha Sawal, Anjuna Police registered the case under section 504, 506(ii) 341 r/w 34 IPC.
DySp Uday Parab said, “A case has been registered and two police teams have been formed to trace the accused persons. The police have identified the three accused. One of them is the landowner where the bar and restaurant is located.”
Senior journalists of the Herald, hearing of the incident asked DY SP Uday Parab and his seniors to ensure that immediate legal action be taken and those threatening journalists on duty in a criminal manner should be immediately arrested an investigations should begin.
