Goa is now ‘playground for criminals’, Cong slams govt

PANAJI
The Congress on Friday launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led State government, accusing it of turning the once “Golden State” into a “playground for criminals” amid three murders within 24 hours and rising crime across the State.
Citing the recent triple murder and the killing of activist Umakant Khote in Morjim, the Opposition charged the government with complete failure to maintain law and order, demanding an immediate special session of the Goa Legislative Assembly to discuss the “collapse of policing and governance.”
Addressing a press conference, Leader of the Opposition Yuri Alemao alleged that “Goa has been taken hostage by lawlessness,” with an “unprecedented breakdown of order” under what he termed a “corrupt Jumla Party regime.”
Alemao said that once promoted for its serenity and tourism, Goa was now “infamously known for criminal tourism.” “Goa has become a safe haven for criminals from across India and abroad,” he charged.
Referring to the brutal murder of 63-year-old Khote, who was allegedly killed for opposing illegal hill-cutting in his locality, the Congress said his death symbolised the government’s failure to protect citizens who expose illegality. “This was not merely a murder, it was an execution of a citizen who dared to question corruption and illegal activity,” Alemao said.
The Opposition further said the State’s policing system had “collapsed completely,” alleging that the police had become a “reactive and demoralised force” functioning without leadership or coordination.
“Preventive policing has vanished. Tourists are attacked, labourers are shot, activists are silenced — and yet, the government remains unmoved,” the LoP said, calling it the “worst breakdown of public order Goa has ever seen.”
The Congress pointed out that almost every day, newspapers report incidents of murder, robbery, land grab, and police misconduct, while the Chief Minister — who also holds the Home portfolio — “cannot escape responsibility.” Citing the double murder reported on Wednesday and the killing of three labourers linked to the sand mafia in North Goa, the party said the rise in violent crime shows “Goa has descended into a state of anarchy.”
GPCC Chief Amit Patkar also linked the deteriorating law and order situation to growing economic distress, accusing the government of pushing Goans to sell their land amid a lack of employment and opportunities. “People are being forced to part with their fields and properties while the government earmarks private land for development,” he said.