Tension rent the air in Calangute a day after Calangute Sarpanch Joseph Sequeira shot a letter to Shivswarajya Calangute, PWD and GSIDC to remove the life-sized statue of Shivaji Maharaj on a major district road in the village saying it was illegal. On Tuesday, a mob of over 500 protested outside the panchayat seeking an apology from the Sarpanch over the letter and began pelting stones at the panchayat office. The protestors did not accept a decision by the panchayat to keep the letter in abeyance but forced the withdrawal of the notice and an apology from the Sarpanch later in the evening.
The development throws up many questions -- Why did the panchayat not act earlier, and why did it look the other way after rejecting the application for permission? What were the panchayat, PWD and GSIDC doing all this while? Has the system caved into sectional political pressure? Or is it that nobody cares unless somebody objects? Lest we forget, a bust of Shivaji installed without permission at Mapusa last year continues to stand tall. There is nothing wrong in installing a statute of Shivaji, provided necessary approvals are granted.
While the panchayat’s failure to act is one side of the Calangute story, the way the group was allowed to go berserk exposes the sorry side. Forcing the Sarpanch to withdraw the letter and make a public apology is like holding a local body to ransom. There are no grounds to seek withdrawal of the letter because it followed a legal panchayat resolution. The incident has exposed the local body to humiliation and left the system defenceless against high-handedness, which is unfortunate.
The State has a history of iconic leaders that have etched their footprint on Goan soil, and people carry an emotional attachment to them, for example, Jack Sequeira. The Calangute incident could set a horrible precedent and trigger similar acts of forcefully installing statutes and bypassing laws and protocols. The situation should have been diffused by those providing tacit support so that the sanctity of the panchayat body is respected.
And why have the police not acted yet? Yesterday, at Dhargal, the police swung into action by registering FIRs against those blocking the road and setting ablaze two cranes following a fatal accident. Surprisingly, those attacking a panchayat house and threatening arson are scot-free. There can’t be two yardsticks against those violating the law, and while the police may have controlled further flare-ups, they can’t ignore the fact that a violation has happened, and they need to act here too.
The simmering anger and protests over issues do not bode well for a State known for its peace. Political leaders must refrain from stoking communal fires through their outreaches because it will not only create fissures between sections but also create turmoil and an environment of unease. Let peace prevail.
