The irony was hard to miss on the anniversary of Goa Revolution Day — a day that commemorates the strug gle against colonial repression and the assertion of civil liberties — a peaceful protest by Karapur-Sarvan villagers en tered its 75th day only to be met with police action, detentions and allegations of suppression by the State government. Dozens of villagers, most of them women, marched towards Azad Maidan in Panjim on Thursday demanding that the proposed mega housing pro ject in their village be scrapped. Car rying placards and banners and rais ing slogans against the project, the protesters sought a stop-work order on all activities linked to the development, which they claim threatens local water resources, the environment and the traditional character of the area. The march, however, was halted by police personnel near Azad Maidan. As protesters attempted to proceed towards the venue, they were inter cepted, leading to a brief confrontation and jostling. Police subsequently detained the demonstrators and transported them in police vans, first to the Panjim po lice station and later to the Old Goa police station.
Among those detained were village leader Dr Swap nil Salelkar and activists Swapnesh Sherlekar, Rama Kankonkar, Manjita Chandelkar, Neeta Morajkar, Meghnath Gaonkar, Rajendra Kavlekar, Sanjivani Gaonkar and Ujwala Kavlekar. The detentions triggered a strong political and civil so ciety backlash, with opposition leaders and activists ques tioning why villagers engaged in a peaceful agitation were prevented from assembling on a day dedicated to Goa’s democratic awakening. One of the protesters, Gauresh Ghadi, said the villagers had been agitating peacefully for over two months. “We have been protesting peacefully for the last 75 days against the mega housing project in our village. We also wanted to stage a peaceful protest at Azad Maidan on Goa Revolution Day. But we were stopped and detained,” he said. Ghadi further alleged that police refused to accept a complaint submitted by the protesters. “The police also refused to accept our complaint, stating that we did not have the required permission. We believe that our concerns regarding the project deserve to be heard, and we will continue our peaceful movement until the authorities take appropriate action,” he added. The villagers maintain that the project has already begun affecting local resources.
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Ghadi claimed that a re cent inspection by Water Resources Department (WRD) officials had revealed a decline in water levels in village lakes and wells, allegedly linked to borewells dug by the project proponent. He further alleged that access routes used by 76 tenants to reach their agricultural fields had been blocked, affecting the livelihoods of farming families. As news of the detentions spread, opposition leaders converged at the Old Goa police station to express solidar ity with the protesters. Among those present were AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, Leader of the Opposi tion Yuri Alemao, Goa Forward Party president and MLA Vijai Sardesai, AAP state president Valmiki Naik, Congress leader Amit Patkar and South Goa MP Viriato Fernandes. Critics accused the government of betraying the very ideals celebrated on Goa Revolution Day. “The State administration is attempting to suppress the voices of Goans instead of addressing their concerns,” South Goa MP Viriato Fernandes said. “It is unfortunate that people commemorating the historic struggle against Portuguese rule were prevented from peacefully express ing their grievances. The government’s actions are rem iniscent of the authoritarian practices of the past. The government should have heard the grievances of the people rather than detaining them.
Police personnel and government officials must remember that they serve thepublic and are accountable to the people whose taxes fund the administration. Senior citizens, women and children should never be subjected to any form of mishandling while exercising their democratic rights.” GPCC president Girish Chodankar described the deten tion as an attempt to silence citizens defending their land and livelihoods. “This is an unjust attempt to silence the voices of people fighting to protect their land and their rights. Every Goan has the right to be at Azad Maidan on this historic day, es pecially those who are peacefully exercising their demo cratic right to protest,” he said. “Suppressing dissent on Goa Kranti Day goes against the very spirit of the sacrifices and struggles that this day commemorates.” AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal drew a direct parallel between the government’s actions and the coloni al rule that Goa Revolution Day seeks to remember. “Karapur-Sarvan protesters who peacefully marched to Azad Maidan demanding the scrapping of the housing project were mercilessly detained by the BJP government, showing that it is using the same dictatorial practices as the Portuguese by suppressing people’s voices. Just as Goans unitedly broke the arrogance of the Portuguese, the BJP’s arrogance will be shattered too,” he said. AAP state president Valmiki Naik echoed the criticism. “I condemn the detention of protesters who were peacefully marching to Azad Maidan on Goa Revolution Day, when Goans united to begin a revolutionary move ment against Portuguese rule.
History repeats itself, and the BJP will meet the same fate as the Portuguese and bethrown out of Goa,” he said. GFP president and MLA Vijai Sardesai too was critical. “I condemn the detention of the protesters. The BJP gov ernment has resorted to Salazarshahi. There is no differ ence between the Salazar regime and the BJP government when it comes to dealing with people who are raising their voices against injustice. The villagers are agitating to save their village, their land and their natural resources. Their concerns are genuine and deserve to be addressed by the government. Instead of engaging with them and finding solutions, the authorities chose to detain peaceful protest ers. The activists are fighting not only to save the villagers but also to protect Goa’s environment and future genera tions. We stand firmly with them and will continue to rally behind their cause until justice is done,” he asserted Civil society activists also questioned the legality and necessity of the police action. “The villagers of Karapur-Sarvan are protesting in a democratic manner.
There was no prohibitory order in force to justify their detention. The villagers are fighting to save their lands and preserve natural resources, espe cially water. I condemn this high-handedness by the gov ernment,” activist Pratima Coutinho said. Singer Hema Sardessai said the treatment meted out to the protesters was unjustified. “I condemn the detention of peaceful protesters. The police should have taken them to the nearest police sta tion, yet they were taken to the Old Goa police station and detained for almost five hours. The villagers were protest ing peacefully. They had committed no offence, and there fore what the police did was illegal. Why are villagers ag itating everywhere? The government should address the concerns of the people,” she said. AITC national spokesman Trajano D’Mello said the pro testers should have been allowed to assemble after the official Revolution Day function had concluded. “The arrest of Karapur-Sarvan protesters, particularly women, on Revolution Day deserves condemnation.
The protesters should have been allowed to protest peacefully at Azad Maidan after the government function was over. By detaining the protesters, the government has killed the very spirit of Revolution Day and further exposed its intention to harass and sabotage the movement,” he said. After nearly five hours in custody, all the detained pro testers were released at around 4 pm. Police authorities reportedly assured both protesters and opposition lead ers that no criminal cases would be registered as no com plaint had been filed. The women protesters were dropped back to the vil lage by police, while the male protesters returned to Azad Maidan, vowing to continue their agitation until the pro posed housing project is scrapped and all related activities are halted.
