Goa man killed in altercation with shack worker over placement of beach benches

Police superintendent Akshat Kaushal said they arrested the person who got into an argument with 37-year-old businessman Amar Bandekar that escalated into a fistfight

A 37-year-old businessman was killed in an altercation with a shack worker over the placement of benches on north Goa’s Arambol beach on Sunday evening. The altercation was triggered when Amar Bandekar, the businessman, removed a bench blocking his path during a regular evening walk.

Police cited the injuries the businessman suffered and said it appears no weapon was used. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Police superintendent Akshat Kaushal said they arrested the person who got into an argument that escalated into a fistfight. “As of now, only one person is found to be involved. If more people are involved, we will take action.”

Kaushal cited injuries Bandekar suffered and said it appears no weapon was used. “But we will take the expert opinion of doctors. If a weapon were used, we would invoke the appropriate sections,” Kaushal added. Police were planning to record statements of around a dozen beach shack workers.

Bandekar’s death sparked an outcry as Arambol residents demanded action against beach shack operators and their workers. It turned the spotlight on an increasingly strained relationship between residents and the tourism industry which has led to clashes between tourists, industry workers, and locals.

Devendra Prabhudesai, a resident, said Bandekar was a regular evening walker. “[On Sunday] when he went for a walk and saw that some benches were blocking the path, he just removed one... Who is responsible for his death?” asked Prabhudesai. He said the law and order had collapsed and the government and the local lawmaker should be worried about it.

Bandekar owned a premises where Israeli tourists set up a Chabad House for community gatherings in Arambol, a coastal village popular among foreigners.