It really seems that the corrupt, compromised and creaky train of Goa is pretty much reaching land's end now. You can virtually sense we are at the cliff's edge and aur ek dhakka do and all of us, the King's horses and the King’s men, are precariously close to falling over that edge into a deep, terrifying abyss.
The facts of the case are on everyone's coffee table (yet another Goan interminable fable).
A rich guy with inherited property and who perhaps forever mouths "Save Goa" sells his land to some shamelessly wealthy Delhi girl, who then thinks that a mundkar on "her new designer property” is a hideous blot. So she hires some goons to kidnap these blots on her outfit and demolish their home.
Just like that!!
Not even a by-your-leave or pretty please!! Let's set the horror of the Agarwadekar family aside.
Let's keep the hypocrisy of the "Save Goa” elite popping off their ancestral property like bhel puri to the Delhi palate. Let's even keep this "Suja Puja” aside. As a responsible (ha! ha!) citizenry of this state we need answers to these questions.
How on earth could a JCB demolition driver run berserk , in broad daylight, in sleepy Assagao, and not a single cop, not even one to rush in to stop what was a brazenly wanton act of terror?
If our super-efficient police force can grab harmless students who post inane WhatsApp forwards, which “hurt” someone's stupid sentiments and incarcerate them promptly…Is that a more visible and horrible crime than this? Or maybe it is, in the times we live in!
The DGP in a grim voice and demeanor tells us justice will be done. Sorry sir, the one and only question you need to answer the public is why was there such a criminal dereliction of duty by your police force?
Forget nabbing the culprits. That's the easy part. Demolition is the new mantra for BJP governments across states. Does this mean the cops look the other way because this is part of BJP culture in a BJP- ruled state? This is a question of justice, Mr Singh, no other!!
The Vatican, in a secret communique, has told me (the Pope loves atheists, he talks to me often) that St Michael is now to be promoted as the Patron Saint Of Demolition Victims, and wife Delilah is entrusted with blinding the lions.
As Hercule Poirot used to say, when a murder takes place, the person crying the loudest at the funeral is likely to be the murderer. There is not a shadow of doubt that this atrocious gangster operation could have been undertaken without the blessings of multiple gangsters in the highest echelons of power.
For ten agonising hours, a boy and his father are terrorised and a family-home demolished and you expect us to believe that no one in the Government was aware that this operation was on?
Give us a break!!
If a people's representative breaks wind in Bicholim, the news spreads so fast that a people's representative from Valpoi, rushes to see if he can exploit the gas leak. And we are talking ten long agonising hours here.
The Opposition has smelt blood on this issue and have made the right noises. Hopefully their voices don't become feeble as the days lapse, and everyone turns quiet until the next outrage. And, on a personal level, it's heartbreaking not to hear a pipsqueak on this issue from Manoj Parab.
Bro, this issue is right up your alley. Are you missing in action? Sacre Deus!
Frankly folks, this is our Jallianwalla Bagh moment. If we let this pass, as we are so prone to doing, this will necessarily become a trend. Mundkars, with little paper work, will be swatted like files by their fat, ugly Bhatkars, with money and muscle imported from Delhi. This type of criminal intimidation is just around the corner for all of us.
Because the irrefutable point of the matter is that those drivers of the JCB may have carried out the act, but they were provided air cover by every single cog of this disgraceful government, at every point of time in those ten hours. Many people have whined to me, and I to them, that Goa resembles Sicily or Las Vegas, two fabled places where the Mafia called the shots.
There is a subtle difference though. In Sicily and Las Vegas the Mafia were in bed with, and pulled the strings of the Governments there. In Goa, make no mistake about it. The Mafia is the government.
Goem post script
The Assagao demolition, to my mind, is a perfect case for our High Court to take suo moto cognisance of. The crime has happened before our very eyes. The evidence that the house was demolished and the kid and his Dad kidnapped, is beyond reasonable doubt. The only thing left to do is to urgently and expeditiously unearth the conspiracy behind it. And smash this type of a crime forever, so that no one ever dreams of conjuring another act like this again. The title deed matter can wait. Will your Lordships, please, please oblige?
