PANJIM: Two social activists Rama Kankonkar and Sanjay Barde were arrested by the police.
Kankonkar was arrested by Panjim Police for allegedly making ‘derogatory” statements against Chief Minister Pramod Sawant at Azad Maidan, Panjim.
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Kankonkar was first summoned on Thursday and detained for some time. On Friday, he was summoned again at around 11 am and arrested later in the evening.
According to the FIR registered against him, police stated that his remarks could incite public enmity against the
Chief Minister.
Barde was arrested by the Mapusa police on Thursday night and taken to Kolhapur in the alleged fraud case of 2008.
The Kolhapur Court had issued a non-bailable warrant against Barde in the case registered against him at Rajwada Police Station, Kolhapur in 2008.
Barde told the media persons that the case was related to a road roller which he had rented from persons from Kolhapur in 2008. He alleged that he was arrested out of political vendetta.
Meanwhile, opposition leaders have strongly condemned Kankonkar’s arrest, accusing the Goa Police of acting under political pressure from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Goa Forward Party president and MLA Vijai Sardesai criticised the arrest, calling it a “shameful misuse of power” by the Goa government.
Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) President Amit Patkar also denounced the arrest, stating, “Instead of arresting those who pose a real threat to democracy, the government is targeting activists who are fighting for Goa’s interests. The person who threatened an elected Sancoale panchayat member should have been arrested, not Rama Kankonkar. This blatant misuse of power shows that the BJP is shielding wrongdoers while suppressing those who stand up for the people.”
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) State president Amit Palekar called the arrest “illegal”, saying it was an attempt to silence the people’s voice and violate the fundamental right to free speech under Article 19 of the Indian Constitution.
Environmentalist Avertino Miranda also raised concerns about the state of democracy, stating,
“Our democracy is facing a serious threat. This is a matter of free speech. We have been informed that Rama Kankonkar does not want bail.”
