Government, along with stakeholders, must work towards restoring Goa’s ‘peaceful’ image
The recent murder of a young man at Arambol in Pernem taluka has once again put focus on increasing lawlessness on Goan beaches. The death of 28-year-old Amar Bandekar outside a shack is not an isolated incident. Hence it has drawn much attention and raised much concern.
Over the past month or so, some ugly incidents have occurred on Goa’s beaches, which have caused the state’s image as a tourist destination to suffer a beating. A young tourist from Andhra Pradesh was killed on December 31 in a brawl after a shack refused to take an order as it was past the stipulated closing time. The owner of the shack, his son, and staff were arrested. The incident was highlighted by media outside the state. Within a couple of days of the incident, another tourist was assaulted up-north. Ten days earlier, a tourist from Maharashtra lost his life after a tourist boat capsized off Calangute due to overloading. To make matters worse, an adventure tourist from Pune died in a paragliding fatality off Keri.
In the latest incident, the trigger for the altercation was strange. Bandekar moved chairs that were obstructing his evening walk, leading to heated arguments with the shack staff. The squabble took a violent turn with the staff assaulting him severely, leading to his death. One difference between the two cases is that, in the latest case, the deceased is a local youth and the accused are from outside the state, whereas the opposite was true in the Calangute case. In the latest incident, three persons, including a beach shack staffer from Himachal Pradesh, have been arrested.
Irrespective of whether the victim is from Goa, the incidents have brought to the fore something that the state government cannot ignore—there is lawlessness, and there is no fear of the law.
After the December 31 fatal incident, the police were quick to hold meetings with shack owners asking them to be tolerant of even unreasonable demands and not to take the law into their own hands and to call the police for assistance. This time the tourism department and the police have said that security will be beefed up along the beach belt.
It is difficult to attribute the violent incidents to one factor; there will be multiple factors. However, it is clear that the accused took the law into their hands in a fit of anger. One may say there is poor enforcement, but the question is to what extent can you do policing on the beach? A peaceful place is one where the presence of law enforcement is unnecessary for it to be considered safe. Except for a few incidents, Goa has always been safe, which is a key reason why tourists feel comfortable walking on the beach even at night.
Stakeholders admit that tempers rise unnecessarily. Soft skill training could be taken up for beach shack staff. The authorities concerned must come down heavily on illegalities committed. Subletting of shacks should be detected and acted upon promptly. The incidents have taken place at a time when some social media influencers have portrayed Goa in poor light. Violent incidents can do further damage to Goa’s image, and it is up to the government to act accordingly. Regulations should be followed without any agenda. Fear of law has to be enforced at all costs. The government cannot allow any further dent to the Brand Goa image.
