Team Herald
MARGAO: The Bharat Mukti Morcha (BMM) has strongly condemned the recent wave of arrests targeting political dissenters in Goa, calling it a 'springtime of arrests' and demanding the immediate quashing of criminal cases against activist Rama Kankonkar and others. While Kankonkar has since been released on bail, his arrest triggered widespread criticism from the opposition and the public, who view these actions as an assault on democratic
freedoms.
In its statement, BMM convenor Sebastiao Rodrigues accused the state of engaging in “economic terrorism” and “psychological warfare” to suppress dissent. “The arrests of Adv Pratima Coutinho, Sanjay Barde, and Rama Kankonkar are a clear attempt to silence those fighting against corruption and vested interests,” Rodrigues said. He also highlighted the misuse of laws, including the filing of frivolous cases under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, against Kankonkar—a law rarely invoked in Goa.
Drawing historical parallels, Rodrigues likened the crackdown to the British colonial regime’s repression of Mahatma Gandhi, stating, “Such arrests only elevate dissenters to greater moral heights.” He also referenced Nelson Mandela’s struggle against apartheid, emphasizing that “no police action can extinguish the spirit of those fighting for justice.”
The BMM warned that the repression could have unpredictable consequences, citing recent threats against elected representatives in Sancoale as evidence of a deepening law and order crisis. “The state must end this police repression immediately to uphold political sanity and democratic values,” Rodrigues asserted.