Following a series of incidents including murders, rapes and other cases of crime occupying the spotlight in Goa, attention has focussed on Goa Police with the opposition parties alleging that law and order has collapsed in Goa.
The government on the other hand, has sought to defend itself and the role of the Goa Police in claiming that many of the crimes that have taken place are falling in the “unpreventable” category in which the culprits are those who have acted within the four walls of their homes as opposed to street crime that can be acted against.
The rise in crime in Goa especially of murders points to a larger issue of societal disheartenment and rashness that can only come when there is a larger feeling of resignation, frustration and lack of faith that people in power -- both within their homes as well as in institutions will provide succour to the grievance of the individual.
The other possible progenitor of the rising crime is the rising sense of impunity with which criminals operate. The feeling that they will get away with the crime -- be it theft, extortion, frauds, muscling around and other myriad scams that the common public is being bombarded with today. These are, no doubt, larger social issues that need to be addressed through concerted action involving multiple departments of the government, civil society and institutions.
Unfortunately we are living in a world where very little attention is being given in these areas. On the contrary, we are seeing situations on a daily basis wherein institutions and NGOs are seeing their wings clipped, or even threatened and attacked even if they venture as much as to speak up against societal evils, the police are riddled with political interference in terms of transfers and postings, upright police officers are being transferred on the minister’s choosing leading to falling morale among the force.
The Bombay High Court at Goa in a recent order hit out at the Porvorim police for succumbing to political pressure and registering a case against a complainant and his advocate who had filed complaints against illegal constructions falling in the Salvador do Mundo village panchayat.
Across the state, the police are being used as a political tool to harass citizens who are standing up for their rights and standing up against illegalities that have grown only too rampant in the state -- much to the chagrin of politicians who are eager to have a field run at selling off the state and gathering as much as they can in the bargain.
Bearing the brunt are the police as law enforcers who, besides facing flak for their sins of omission and commission, are on several occasions under political pressure to act or not to act.
It is high time that the police, the state’s institutions and civil society are given a free hand to address issues of urgent public concern lest a sense of resignation begins to set in that will do the state’s crime rate no good and only worsen what is an already bad situation. Society needs to heal and not be provoked further.
