Delhi family attacked at Goa's Anjuna beach; four held, video surfaces
CM says won't tolerate violation of law and order
Panaji, Mar 13: Four persons were arrested for allegedly attacking a family from New Delhi at the famous Anjuna beach in North Goa, police said on Monday.
A video of the incident has gone viral on social media.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant told reporters on Monday that such incidents would not be tolerated in the coastal state, which attracts a large number of tourists.
Earlier in the day, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Mapusa) Jivba Dalvi said a 47-year-old man, a resident of Delhi, on March 5 lodged a complaint saying he and his family members were attacked by a gang with belts, a baseball bat, and a knife. They also rained blows on the complainant and others, leaving them injured, as per the First Information Report (FIR).
Dalvi said the prima facie investigation revealed a knife and other weapons were used to inflict injuries on the vital organs of the victims.
"The accused were identified through CCTV cameras and were arrested on Sunday," he said, adding they are working in Goa. He said more arrests will be made soon.
The police officer said the circumstances surrounding the attack and the trigger are being investigated.
Speaking to reporters in Panaji, the chief minister said, "We will not tolerate any violation of the law and order. The law would be strictly enforced. Any illegal act in the tourism business won't be tolerated".
Sawant said the people in the tourism business should verify the background of their staff before employing them.
Today’s violent incident in Anjuna is shocking and intolerable. I have directed the Police to take the harshest action against the perpetrators. Such anti-social elements are a threat to the peace and safety of the people in the State, and will be dealt with strictly.
— Dr. Pramod Sawant (@DrPramodPSawant) March 12, 2023
Name of Assaulted -Jatin Sharma & Anil Sharma
— Jacob Mathew (@Jacobmathewlive) March 12, 2023
Location - Anjuna North Goa#ViralVideo pic.twitter.com/DUkaVOVClA
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Trouble ‘Miyas’ everywhere only then they will leave Assam: Himanta Biswa Sarma
Says “Himanta Biswa Sarma, BJP are openly against them, we are saying it openly
New Delhi: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said that four to five lakh “Miya voters” would be removed from the electoral rolls in the state once the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists is carried out. He also made a series of controversial remarks openly targeting the Miya community, a term commonly used in Assam in a derogatory sense to refer to Bengali-speaking Muslims.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an official programme in Digboi in Tinsukia district, Sarma said it was his responsibility to create difficulties for the Miya community and claimed that both he and the BJP were “directly against Miyas”.
“Four to five lakh Miya votes will have to be deleted in Assam when the SIR happens,” Sarma said, adding that such voters “should ideally not be allowed to vote in Assam, but in Bangladesh”. He asserted that the government was ensuring that they would not be able to vote in the state.
The chief minister was responding to questions about notices issued to thousands of Bengali-speaking Muslims during the claims and objections phase of the ongoing Special Revision (SR) of electoral rolls in Assam. While the Election Commission is conducting SIR exercises in 12 states and Union Territories, Assam is currently undergoing an SR, which is usually meant for routine updates.
Calling the current SR “preliminary”, Sarma said that a full-fledged SIR in Assam would lead to large-scale deletion of Miya voters. He said he was unconcerned about criticism from opposition parties over the issue.
“Let the Congress abuse me as much as they want. My job is to make the Miya people suffer,” Sarma said. He claimed that complaints filed against members of the community were done on his instructions and that he had encouraged BJP workers to keep filing complaints.
“I have told people wherever possible they should fill Form 7 so that they have to run around a little and are troubled,” he said, adding that such actions were meant to send a message that “the Assamese people are still living”.
In remarks that drew further outrage, Sarma urged people to trouble members of the Miya community in everyday life, claiming that “only if they face troubles will they leave Assam”. He also accused the media of sympathising with the community and warned journalists against such coverage.
“So you all should also trouble, and you should not do news that sympathise with them. There will be love jihad in your own house.” He said.
The comments triggered reactions from opposition leaders. Raijor Dal president and MLA Akhil Gogoi said the people of Assam had not elected Sarma to keep one community under constant pressure. Congress leader Aman Wadud accused the chief minister of rendering the Constitution meaningless in the state, saying his remarks showed a complete disregard for constitutional values.
According to the draft electoral rolls published on December 27, Assam currently has 2.51 crore voters. Election officials said 4.78 lakh names were marked as deceased, 5.23 lakh as having shifted, and 53,619 duplicate entries were removed during the revision process. Authorities also claimed that verification had been completed for over 61 lakh households.
On January 25, six opposition parties the Congress, Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad, CPI, CPI(M) and CPI(M-L) submitted a memorandum to the state’s chief electoral officer. They alleged widespread legal violations, political interference and selective targeting of genuine voters during the SR exercise, describing it as arbitrary, unlawful and unconstitutional.
