MAPUSA
Aldona MLA Carlos Ferreira has strongly criticised the Goa Police for registering a case against a person who uploaded a video allegedly showing a foreign woman soliciting customers along Goa’s coastal belt.
Ferreira called the police action “illegal” and “misguided”, claiming it was taken under pressure from “higher-ups” to protect the State government from embarrassment amid concerns about Goa’s tourism image.
“The action of the police is completely flawed. A customer cannot be booked under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, so the basis of the case itself appears questionable,” Ferreira said.
He added that the video showed a woman allegedly soliciting in a public place and questioned whether authorities were willing to accept that such activities exist along North Goa’s beaches.
The MLA said the video should have acted as an “eye-opener” rather than leading to action against the person who shared it.
“I see no obscenity in the video. On the contrary, it shows the ground reality and should have led to corrective steps,” he said, referring to the right to freedom of expression under Article 19 of the Constitution of India.
Ferreira also alleged that the FIR was registered without establishing a cognisable offence, suggesting a lack of proper application of mind by the police. He claimed the move was meant to silence individuals and discourage the sharing of content that could affect Goa’s tourism image.
Raising wider concerns, Ferreira pointed to repeated incidents of unruly tourist behaviour, saying such cases are being reported “almost daily”.
He further alleged the presence of illegal activities supported by “hafta” collections involving different stakeholders in the tourism sector, though he did not provide specific evidence.
Calling for reforms, Ferreira urged the State’s tourism authorities to review policies and asked the police to better train personnel in handling such cases to avoid further controversy.
