PANJIM: While Goa, by and large managed to keep its crime record clean on the tourism front, at least until the afternoon of December 27, 2019, the three deaths at and around the electronic dance music (EDM) festival venue at Vagator dented the image of the State just days before the sun set on the old year.
The deaths of three tourists, incidentally all natives of Andhra Pradesh, due to suspected drug overdose, coupled with a video of Tourism Minister Manohar (Babu) Ajgaonkar dancing at the festival, has portrayed Goa’s hospitality industry in a sorry manner, while raising questions on the policing in the State.
Herald spoke to some retired Goa Police officers who seemed divided on solely holding the Police Department responsible for these controversies. Retired police superintendent Apa Teli blamed government policy, whereas retired deputy superintendent of police Deu Benaulikar slammed the police force’s failure to tap the drug menace as he pointed out to the deaths of three visitors to the EDM.
“When we invite tourists, under the garb of encouraging and promoting tourism through casinos, gambling and EDMs, we cannot escape from the vices of prostitution, drugs, etc. We simply cannot avoid these and this is an experience all over the world,” Teli said.
Asked if the police failed to carry out their duty, he said that the Police Department does not decide on policies. “Police do not decide the policy for the public. The police force is made the immediate target because they are unfortunately placed there (to man the law and order).”
Benaulikar, who recently retired after 32 years of service in the department, disputed Teli’s views as he came down heavily on the police for giving an opinion on the deaths of the first two victims even before the autopsy.
“I read in the newspapers that police have cited the deaths of the victims due to heart attack. How can the police make such a comment before the post mortem has been conducted on the deceased? Also, there was no epidemic of heart attacks. It is foolishness of the police to cover their misdeeds. They have completely failed to give protection to the EDM visitors and also failed in ensuring they do not get drugs,” he lamented.
The retired officer, also suspecting that the deaths were not due to heart attack, has conceded that Goa is again being labelled as a ‘major drug destination’. “It has to be stopped,” he added, advising the police force to develop its own intelligence, instead of depending on the people, most of whom still do not have faith in the men-in-khaki.
The three-day festival started amidst opposition from several quarters over the EDM festival’s re-entry into Goa, and two deaths on the day of the launch caused a stir. Just when the opposition parties were holding media conferences and issuing statements demanding a ban on the EDM, there was the third death.
The deaths have re-triggered a heated debate on whether such parties are actually free from drugs and if they are required for Goa, in what the government claims is to increase footfalls.
As the year ended on a rather controversial note for Goa, there is also the fear that these incidents would impact tourism, which is already on the decline. Congress as well as Aam Aadmi Party have been making statements on how Goa’s tourism is getting jaded due to such activities. Congress has gone to the extent of demanding the interrogation of Minister Michael Lobo, who along with Ajgaonkar favour EDMs in Goa.
Travel and Tourism Association of Goa, however, disagrees with the parties stating that deaths of the three tourists at the EDM venue are not linked to any criminal violence. “These are clear cases of abuse of illegal and spurious drugs, probably consumed with alcohol. Today drug peddling has become rampant in the North. One expects authorities to crackdown on such elements, which unfortunately is not happening,” TTAG president Savio Messias said.
“Drugs are available even in non-tourist areas, so let’s not relate drugs with tourism only. It is not a problem which started yesterday but has been going on since the hippies discovered Goa and has now escalated to new proportions,” he added.
