PANJIM: It’s the Jatrotsav season in Goa wherein the annual village feasts are celebrated with traditional religious rituals and cultural programmes. However, for decades now, the village fairs have got the dubious distinction of turning into gambling dens.
On Tuesday night gambling or pat, as it called in Konkani, was stopped at midnight by police after complaints at the Bodgeshwar jatra, in Mapusa. But at many other fairs gambling continues unabated wherein hundreds people from even the neighbouring states throng just to gamble.
Sources reveal that gambling takes place with the blessings of the local police and in some cases even temple committees.
Crime Branch SP Karthik Kashyap asked about gambling at village fairs, replied saying, “Whenever there is a specific complaint we do act.” Efforts to contact DGP Mukhtesh Chander and IGP for their comments proved futile.
Following complaints, Herald visited the Biyanchi zatra in Marcel and the scenes were startling. There were hundreds of gamblers playing Andar bahar or pat as it is locally known. There were at least eight gambling stalls/tables playing pat.
What was shocking was the youth, mostly from bordering areas of Karnataka and Maharashtra, gambling with huge piles of cash (see pics), despite the police keeping a tight vigil few meters away. A local informer said that the police don’t act despite complaints from the locals.
