Barely days after the Goa government assured that cases against Section 39A protestors would not be pursued, the state has reportedly begun issuing notices to activists and opposition leaders thereby triggering allegations of a political witch-hunt. The FIR reportedly names 1,500 unidentified persons, including elderly women, for alleged unlawful assembly, marching towards a minister’s residence and blocking roads. Filing FIRs may be presented as a safeguard to ensure accountability and deterrence against potential disruptions. History suggests that legal action does not always deter protest movements. In some cases, it galvanizes them. In a democracy there is a thin dividing line between maintaining law and order and suppressing dissent and public confidence hinges on the transparency and fairness of state action. Democracies are tested not in moments of consensus, but in moments of disagreement. The right to protest is fundamental, but so is the state’s responsibility to maintain law and order. The present situation in Goa reflects this ongoing balancing act. The ultimate goal should not be victory for one side over the other, but preservation of democratic norms and public trust.
