NT Reporter
Panaji
Four incidents of alleged harassment of women tourists, including foreign nationals, by domestic tourists were reported at Goa’s beaches over the past week.
Drishti Marine said two separate incidents involving foreign women tourists were reported at Baga beach. In the first case, at around 3.45 pm on February 5, two male tourists from Telangana, who were allegedly under the influence of alcohol, harassed a foreign woman near the shoreline after she refused to take a selfie.
One of the men allegedly attempted to put his arm around her and kiss her. Lifesavers intervened promptly and alerted a beach marshal, who arrived with a police constable. The woman was escorted to the lifesaver tower, while the two tourists were taken to the police station.
In the second incident at Baga, Russian women tourists reported alleged harassment. A beach marshal and a lifesaver intervened and informed the police. As the victims declined to file a formal complaint, the domestic tourists involved were issued a stern warning and allowed to leave.
At Colva beach, a group of seven to eight tourists from Karnataka were found filming and photographing Russian women without their consent on Friday at around 9 pm. One woman was seated near the shore while another was entering the water. Lifesavers intervened, informed the on-duty captain and handed the men over to the Goa Police for further action.
Drishti Marine also reported an incident at Patnem beach on Sunday evening, where lifesavers noticed a group of five tourists from Bihar harassing and filming a couple from Pune without their consent. The lifesavers intervened, escorted the couple to safety at a nearby tower and contacted the Goa Police, who arrived within 15 minutes. The tourists were detained and handed over to the police for further action.
Drishti Marine said 70 beach marshals, including eight women, equipped with body cameras and trained to monitor onshore conduct, have been deployed across five popular beach stretches — Baga, Calangute and Candolim in North Goa, and Colva and Benaulim in South Goa.
