On Diwali night, as families celebrated the victory of light over darkness, a ‘narkasur’ emerged and dragged a 4-year-old girl into the darkness of Mapusa. The little girl, whose father sells balloons on the street to make a living, was pulled barefoot into Dempo Mansion—an abandoned building right opposite Lohia Garden—and sexually assaulted by an unknown man. She eventually stumbled back out into the open street, naked, bleeding, and sobbing. It is a image that tears apart the illusion of Goa being safe, exposing instead a State where even toddlers are vulnerable to horrific crimes.
What makes this nightmare even harder to accept is that it was avoidable. Dempo Mansion sits right in the main town square, one of 49 unsafe structures already red-flagged by the Mapusa Municipal Council. Yet it stood right there, offering an easy hiding spot for criminals. Leaving a dangerous, abandoned property accessible in the middle of a crowded town isn't just negligence; it's an open invitation to criminals.
This incident also highlights a deteriorating law-and-order situation in Mapusa’s market area, which has increasingly gained a reputation for open drug use, prostitution, and unchecked crime. Local MLA Joshua D’Souza called the crime "heart-breaking and disgusting”. Such public statements of sympathy are not acceptable, especially when oversight has failed. Leaders cannot govern through quiet regret while public spaces are left open as safe havens for predators.
The circumstances surrounding the Mapusa incident have also brought wider concerns about neighbourhood safety, surveillance, and the effectiveness of patrolling. It raises a serious question: Are children playing near their homes or in the neighbourhood as safe and secure as they were in years gone by? Goa has hundreds of such abandoned structures, and yet nobody cares, until tragedy strikes.
For years, Goa has enjoyed a reputation as one of India's safer states, particularly for women and children. Unfortunately, growing concerns over sexual offences have begun to challenge that image. Goa must not allow itself to drift towards a situation where fear becomes part of everyday life, as has happened in several parts of the country, including Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Merely an expression of outrage will not help. Goa needs consistent policing, accountability for failures, and swift justice.
The government may have undertaken policy measures towards child welfare in Goa with schemes and doles provided at various levels — from education to welfare and social development. However, these efforts mean nothing if the government cannot ensure a child's basic right to live without fear of abuse. Development must begin with safety. Without it, every other promise rings hollow.
The government must be wary of real-life Narkasurs and move beyond routine statements. Firstly, cases involving sexual offences against children under the POCSO Act and the Goa Children's Act must be fast-tracked. Secondly, there is a need for better surveillance of public spaces, and lastly, but more importantly, the chinks in tenant and worker verification procedures are still showing. The authorities need to have complete control over every migrant settling into the State.
The point in focus is not about identity. It’s not about a Goan or a non-Goan. It’s about a human being, a child who may have just learnt to utter a few lines and take her baby steps in walking. Such a crime strikes at the very soul of humanity. The people of Goa deserve answers, and more importantly, they deserve action.
