Goa Police as most unwanted guests in Benaulim

Goa Government is increasingly engaging in inflicting police terror against the villagers of Benaulim. Yesterday, September 01, 2008 was one such day when Rudolf Barreto, an active citizen of Benaulim and joint secretary of Benaulim Villagers Action Committee (BVAC) was rudely awaken from his sleep at midnight hour 2.00 am by Colva Police Inspector Edwin Collasso with group of police personnel accompanying him. His whole family peace was disturbed at an unearth hour all for the benefit of the builders and to demoralize Rudolf Barreto. We wonder if day time was not sufficient to communicate this to citizens that Goa Police chose to knock on citizens doors at such an extremely odd hour?

All that he had to tell is that to call off September 01, 2008 meeting scheduled well after the sunrise to condemn local panchayat of Benaulim for getting into dubious nexus with builders. It was clear as to on whose masters order that he was moving about the uncalled for hour to attend crisis that builders are facing due to assertion of Banaulekars.

Colva Police Inspector went further on to warn that in case the meeting is not called off then State government was prepared to get eight truck load of police to deal with Benaulim citizens. This is a warning that seriously doubts democratic character of present day Goa government.

Banaulekars hardly cared for the warnings of Police Inspector and went to organise the meeting and confronted the police authorities. The entire focus of the day long police action in Benaulim on September was to target just two people that Goa Government falsely perceive to be leaders: Geraldine Fernandes and Rudolf Barretto. The targeting of the two has further infuriated Banaulikars. Two buses of Goa armed police was brought near the Benaulim Panchayat at 8.00 am - barely four hours after the PI Collasso warning of eight trucks - two protect Benaulim Panchayat leadership that has betrayed its people and is involved in massive fraud of sale of Benaulim to Builders.

Police were hassled throughout the day and questioned and told that they are most unwanted guests in Benaulim, and they should leave immediately. In spite of that Police stayed in the village guarding the Panchayat for the entire day.
Magistrate was called and rumours went floating in the air that lathi charge is on the cards as Benaulim, according to the State administration is turning increasingly unruly. But that is not true at all, Benaulim people are highly responsible; it is the Goa government that is dancing to the tune of Builders and Real Estate Agents is speedily turning itself into agent of builders and Banaulekars in collaboration with all the democracy loving people Goa would never allow this to happen irrespective of what are the cost and sacrifice involved.
We wonder why Goa government is choosing Police repression as a solution the questions that we are raising; the advisers of the Goa government are either those less than an average school boys or corporates themselves who wants to push their ways at all costs.

Cana-Benaulim Panchayat is for the People of Benaulim and not for Goa Police. We do not want to see police raj in Goa anywhere and it is true in case of our village too.

Police were involved in ordering Banaulekars out of Benaulim Panchayat premises. We wonder with what authority they were doing it. Perhaps they are thinking that Panchayat is full of people-infested with pests and that needs to be done away with lathis and bullets. By the way all this happens in the 48th year of our liberation. Earlier we faced Portuguese bullets now Goa Police is regularly displaying its own guns on common people of Benaulim and other villages of Goa.
Goa police are only fuming further rebellion amongst people of Goa by such irresponsible repressive actions. The consequences of this will go on shaping our society in the days to come.
We now only expect Police with or without riot gears not only for breakfast, lunch and dinner but also during the time when we go to sleep in the night. Goa Police hence forth are expected to be most unwanted guests in Benaulim all the 24 hours of the day and even beyond if builders fuels state agency further. We are expecting worst and are prepared for the same. This is the battle that Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi - Father of our nation- once referred to it as "Do or Die". We have set out to DO, come what may - including Goa Police in riot gears - or even the worse than that.

BVAC Team