The horrific gang violence reported on the busy Colva-Margao road early Tuesday morning brings forth a grim reality that the rule of law is being increasingly undermined by criminals who operate with impunity and without any fear. The claims of a high crime detection rate by the police leadership ring hollow when criminals parade openly with pistols, swords, and iron rods, roaming the streets with apparent immunity. The police, on Wednesday, arrested eight suspects.
Around 15 armed assailants travelling in multiple cars ambushed the occupants of their targeted car in an open area along the busy road and unleashed terror with pistol shots, swords, iron rods and glass bottles to a point of almost killing two of the victims. This is scary, not only because of the way the attack unfolded, but also for the ease with which the criminals went about their business. It becomes increasingly evident that the system designed to protect citizens is either unwilling or unable to act decisively. There were no police in sight, and there were no safeguards.
The police nakabandhi, which is seen sometimes, and which may resurface for a few days after this attack, is a farce. Sensitive and busy areas such as these need intensified patrolling. Discipline and law enforcement should have been top-notch. The irony is that this gang was spotted seated at a restaurant right up to early morning, with cops remaining helpless spectators at their police station, a few metres away.
It is the long-standing neglect of illegalities and violations along the coast that has exacerbated the situation. Years of ignoring violations of liquor outlets and night hangouts have created fertile grounds for anti-social elements to flourish. Gangs often exploit these loopholes, establishing dens that serve as meeting points and safe havens from law enforcement. Such blatant disregard for law and order demonstrates that the police are either complicit or are being deliberately hamstrung by systemic corruption or political protection.
The incident once again highlights the fact that gangs are no longer clandestine or confined to the shadows. Instead, they now take the liberty of launching open, planned attacks in broad daylight or during the dead of night. The timing and the area remain irrelevant. If we may recall, a few years back, a youth was stripped naked and assaulted mercilessly along the same route in the early hours of the day. There too, the gang which attacked was hosted late through the night at a Colva restaurant.
The speculation that the gang involved in the Mungul attack may be linked to criminal elements from other parts of Goa, such as Tiswadi, Quepem, and Ponda, explains the reach of organised crime. Citizens deserve protection, not to live in fear of goons with guns and iron rods roaming freely, knowing that law enforcement is either unwilling or unable to check their activities.
The gang war is symptomatic of a broader malaise where law-and-order is failing and criminal elements are operating with alarming ease, often with the tacit backing of powerful interests. To restore public confidence and safety, Goa must overhaul its policing approach, prioritise intelligence-led operations, shut down restaurants which operate beyond business hours, and hold those with political or systemic protection accountable. The State lacks that discipline, not only in Colva, but across the landscape and unfortunately, citizens are rendered defenceless when faced with such adversities.
