OLD GOA
Several activists and tribal leaders gathered at Azad Maidan to condemn the Manipur incident wherein two tribal women were paraded naked with one of them being later gangraped.
The activists slammed the BJP government in Manipur as well as at the Centre for failing to act in the matter, despite the incident having occurred in May.
The activists then stated that whatever is happening in Manipur is an ethnic cleansing wherein the tribals are targeted. Further, calls were made for imposition of President’s Rule in Manipur due to law and order going out of control.
Speaking on the occasion, Pratima Coutinho said it is high time that President’s Rule be imposed in Manipur as the situation has totally gone out of control.
“President’s Rule should be imposed in Manipur as both the State and the Centre have failed to rein in the violence that has rocked the State with minority Christians being the primary target,” Coutinho said.
“The incident is highly condemnable and we activists have gathered here to express our solidarity with the Manipur victims,” she added and demanded that justice has to be given to the victims.
Patricia Pinto opined that the Gujarat model is being replicated in Manipur and wondered whether the same would happen in Goa.
“They got away with such incidents in Gurajat and now they are replicating it in Manipur. Now, with the government calling for wiping out Portuguese legacy in Goa, the question is whether the same would be repeated in our State as well,” Pinto stated while urging the public to refrain from voting for such parties which are encouraging such acts.
Activist Tara Kerkar questioned where are those women who used to protest in the past over trivial issues, price rise.
“They used to hit the streets. But where are they today when such a shocking incident of torture of women has occurred?” Kerkar questioned while posing about their stoic silence in the matter.
“I am telling such women who are showering flowers on the politicians to be ashamed of themselves as they have failed to raise their voice against atrocities on women,” Kerkar said.
A tribal leader Rama Kankonkar, in fact, questioned whether this is ‘Ram Rajya’ or ‘Ravana Rajya’.
“The Sitas of India are being raped in the country and everybody is quiet. This shows that ‘Ram Rajya’ is not existing in the country but ‘Ravana Rajya’,” Kankonkar opined.
“Our ST community thought that under the BJP, we would get ‘Ram Rajya’ but we were wrong as today what is prevailing in ‘Ravana Rajya’,” Kankonkar chided.
Kankonkar also slammed the State government for passing resolution on BBC documentary but failing to do the same in the case of Manipur incident.
Uttering ‘Ram Naam Satya Hai’, activist Xencor Polgi decried that it is a murder of democracy in India.
“Today, democracy is murdered in the country because our women are being stripped of their clothes and raped,” Polgi stated and condemned the Central government for having failed to impose President’s Rule in Manipur when such a situation is prevailing in that State.
Others who spoke on the occasion included Goan Tribal Association’s Joseph Vaz, historian Prajal Sakhardande, Elvis Gomes, Pario Gaonkar and others.
The activists slammed the BJP government in Manipur as well as at the Centre for failing to act in the matter, despite the incident having occurred in May.
The activists then stated that whatever is happening in Manipur is an ethnic cleansing wherein the tribals are targeted. Further, calls were made for imposition of President’s Rule in Manipur due to law and order going out of control.
Speaking on the occasion, Pratima Coutinho said it is high time that President’s Rule be imposed in Manipur as the situation has totally gone out of control.
“President’s Rule should be imposed in Manipur as both the State and the Centre have failed to rein in the violence that has rocked the State with minority Christians being the primary target,” Coutinho said.
“The incident is highly condemnable and we activists have gathered here to express our solidarity with the Manipur victims,” she added and demanded that justice has to be given to the victims.
Patricia Pinto opined that the Gujarat model is being replicated in Manipur and wondered whether the same would happen in Goa.
“They got away with such incidents in Gurajat and now they are replicating it in Manipur. Now, with the government calling for wiping out Portuguese legacy in Goa, the question is whether the same would be repeated in our State as well,” Pinto stated while urging the public to refrain from voting for such parties which are encouraging such acts.
Activist Tara Kerkar questioned where are those women who used to protest in the past over trivial issues, price rise.
“They used to hit the streets. But where are they today when such a shocking incident of torture of women has occurred?” Kerkar questioned while posing about their stoic silence in the matter.
“I am telling such women who are showering flowers on the politicians to be ashamed of themselves as they have failed to raise their voice against atrocities on women,” Kerkar said.
A tribal leader Rama Kankonkar, in fact, questioned whether this is ‘Ram Rajya’ or ‘Ravana Rajya’.
“The Sitas of India are being raped in the country and everybody is quiet. This shows that ‘Ram Rajya’ is not existing in the country but ‘Ravana Rajya’,” Kankonkar opined.
“Our ST community thought that under the BJP, we would get ‘Ram Rajya’ but we were wrong as today what is prevailing in ‘Ravana Rajya’,” Kankonkar chided.
Kankonkar also slammed the State government for passing resolution on BBC documentary but failing to do the same in the case of Manipur incident.
Uttering ‘Ram Naam Satya Hai’, activist Xencor Polgi decried that it is a murder of democracy in India.
“Today, democracy is murdered in the country because our women are being stripped of their clothes and raped,” Polgi stated and condemned the Central government for having failed to impose President’s Rule in Manipur when such a situation is prevailing in that State.
Others who spoke on the occasion included Goan Tribal Association’s Joseph Vaz, historian Prajal Sakhardande, Elvis Gomes, Pario Gaonkar and others.
