The death of 37-year-old Anand Patil has intensified concerns over Goa’s deteriorating law and-order situation, with the fatal assault in Porvorim coming barely days after an other brutal killing in North Goa, raising questions about the growing brazenness of violent crime in the State. Patil succumbed to his injuries at the Goa Medi cal College and Hospital, Bambolim on Sunday after being allegedly assaulted by a group near the So corro Panchayat office in Porvorim on June 18. The attack, captured on CCTV and carried out in broad daylight, has since been converted from an at tempt-to-murder case to a murder investigation. His death comes less than a week after 60-year old Krishna alias Shango Naik was beaten to death in Chikhali-Colvale on June 24, allegedly by a group of men who attacked him with sticks, kicks and punches over past enmity.
Together, the two killings have am plified public concerns over what many see as a growing culture of impunity and de clining fear of law enforce ment. Hours before Patil’s death, his mother Shashika la Patil had made an emo tional appeal for justice as her only child battled for life in hospital. Her plea struck a chord with resi dents, many of whom ques tioned how such a violent attack could take place in a busy public area without immediate intervention. The incident has trig gered sharp political reac tions, with opposition lead ers portraying the killing as evidence of a deeper gov ernance failure. Goa Congress spokesper son Advocate Amit Palekar alleged that criminals no longer fear the authorities. Referring to the assault on Patil, he said the disturb ing CCTV footage reflected “utter lawlessness” and a “complete failure of law and order” under the BJP gov ernment. He questioned why details of the case emerged only af ter the victim’s elderly mother publicly appealed for jus tice and asked what kind of society allows such violence to unfold in plain sight.
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Former Socorro Panchayat Sarpanch Sandeep Man jrekar also criticised the authorities, alleging that re peated appeals by residents to the government had gone unheeded. He claimed timely intervention could have prevented the tragedy and demanded accountability from those responsible for maintaining public safety. Goa Pradesh Congress Committee Media and Commu nications Department chairman Amarnath Panjikar said Patil’s death was ‘yet another indictment’ of the govern ment’s inability to curb crime. He accused the adminis tration of allowing criminals to operate without fear and warned that every life lost to such violence reflected a fail ure of governance and enforcement. The criticism has been fuelled by the nature of the at tack itself. CCTV footage circulating widely on social me dia allegedly shows Patil being repeatedly assaulted by multiple individuals, reinforcing public perceptions that perpetrators are becoming increasingly fearless despite an extensive police presence and surveillance infrastruc ture.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, however, defended the government’s response, stating that the police were con ducting a thorough investigation and assuring that strin gent action would be taken against all those involved. Police have arrested four accused in connection with the case — Saurabh Narulkar of Socorro and Pranav Porkar, Arjun Paryekar and Anish Borcar of Chimbel. Investiga tors suspect previous enmity between Patil and Narulkar may have been the motive behind the assault. Yet, beyond the arrests, the twin killings have reignited a debate over public safety in Goa. With two men beaten to death within days of each other and one of the attacks unfolding in broad daylight, critics argue that the issue extends beyond individual crimes to a broader question: whether the State’s criminal justice and policing systems are keeping pace with an increasingly emboldened crim inal element.
