Warns government of Idi Amin-like situation for Indians in Nigeria
TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: United Goans Democratic Party (UGDP) leader Adv Radharao Gracias has cautioned the Goa government that the Nigerian episode would not only hit Goa’s tourism, but would create a Idi Amin-like situation for Indians in Nigeria if a wrong message goes out that Nigerians were discriminated against in the State.
While demanding the forthwith and unconditional release of the Nigerians arrested by the Goa Police, Radharao said “we cannot forget there are a million Indians in Nigeria. If they rise up back home, an Idi Amin situation can take place there. The government should act fairly and should not be racist while dealing with the issue. The situation could go out of hand for Indians if a bad message goes back to Nigeria that we are not treating them fairly”.
Addressing the media, the UGDP leader said the incident has brought Goa into sharp focus and created a bad image of our state on the tourism front. “It is completely deplorable that Goa, which projects itself as a tourism State, should be ill-treating the black people. When India was a leader of the Third World, the African nationals were looking at India as their saviour. Clearly, there was discrimination against the blacks by Goans and by the police at Porvorim. In the first instance, when the Nigerian was killed, the police should have immediately nabbed the killer. The Nigerians were forced to come onto the streets after the police failed to bring the culprits to book responsible for murdering their countryman”, he said.
He said the fact that Nigerians could hold the entire Goa Police and all people of the State in fear, speak poorly of the state of Goa and the police force. “What is, however, shocking, is that after the Nigerians were arrested, a handful of Goans took hold of two Nigerians and mercilessly beat them up. This is simply cowardice. This would adversely affect tourism”, he added.
