Special Correspondent
Panaji
Opposition parties strongly condemned the attack on activist Rama Kankonkar, raising sharp questions over the law and order situation in Goa. Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao said, “Goa is witnessing a disturbing trend of goondagiri by assailants who are protected by police,” while questioning the Chief Minister on whether Goa is safe anymore.
Alemao later visited Kankonkar, who was undergoing treatment at the Goa Medical College and Hospital, Bambolim.
“The Home Department and intelligence agencies have failed miserably,” Alemao said. He recalled an earlier attack on Kankonkar outside the court, followed by police inaction. “This clearly indicates that law enforcement is shielding the perpetrators, which raises serious concerns about the collapse of law and order in the state,” he said.
Strongly condemning the brutal attack, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Amit Patkar said that Kankonkar is a fearless voice who has been consistently exposing the failures and wrongdoings of the BJP government.
“The Congress Party demands immediate and strict action against those involved in this heinous crime,” he said. “The government and police machinery must ensure that justice is delivered swiftly and impartially.”
Calling for the immediate arrest of the assailants, Aldona Congress MLA Carlos Alvares Ferreira said, “I demand that a special task force be formed to investigate this attack. We stand by Kankonkar, and we will be assured that we take this forward to ensure that there is justice. An assault on him means there is an assault on each one of us. We cannot allow these things to escalate, and we don’t know what may happen to us tomorrow, to us or to our family members.”
“Even these assailants are being given protection by the state and the state machinery while innocent victims are being arrested or even harassed and no justice is doled out to them. The CM owes an explanation as to what is going on in the state,” Ferreira added.
Goa Forward Party president Vijai Sardesai said that Kankonkar, a fearless voice who has been relentlessly exposing government failures, was brutally attacked.
“This is not just an attack on him, it’s an attack on every Goan who dares to question those in power,” he said. “We will not be quiet; we demand justice.”
The Aam Aadmi Party condemned what it called a cowardly assault on Kankonkar in broad daylight. “This shows complete failure of law and order machinery in Goa under the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government,” said AAP president Amit Palekar. “We have been time and again saying that Goa has turned into Mirzapur,” he added.
“Violence has no place in Goa,” said Goa Revolutionary Party chief Manoj Parab. “The peaceful identity of our state must be protected.”
Parab also said that law and order in the state is collapsing, and RGP is demanding a thorough investigation into the attack.
