PANAJI
A First Information Report (FIR) registered against a priest for allegedly hurting religious sentiments with his remarks about Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj has been added to the 14 cases registered since 2019.
The data, though less compared to other large states, has raised concern about the risk of communal tension in the otherwise peaceful Goa.
While in the ongoing crisis at Vasco, the South Goa District Collector’s order to maintain law and order is likely to be issued, the State has been witnessing routine orders by District Collectors to maintain close vigilance in the areas including constant intelligence gathering and proper monitoring of activities over the past years.
Police records reveal that of the total cases of 'communal disputes, fights and riots' between 2019 and 2023, the highest five cases were registered in 2021 of which one still remains undetected. The Covid-19 year 2020 saw four cases of which three were detected. The last calendar year saw three cases while the current year so far has two cases registered till date. The year 2019 had one case.
Of the total FIRs, nine cases are pending trial, four are under investigation and in two cases the police have filed A-summary reports.
As the Vasco case is witnessing development every single day, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has been quick to assert that the police are acting on the complaint against Fr Bolmax Pereira amid Hindu outfits and Shiv Premis demanding his arrest.
While Goa’s legislators have time and again vouched for communal harmony in Goa, Calangute MLA had last year blamed anti-social elements from other States for trying to create religious tension in the State.
Goa has a fact-finding team constituted by the Citizens’ Initiatives for Communal Harmony (CICH) after communal riots at Curchorem Sanvordem in the year 2006.
