E-Paper
Goa CM faces flak for asking parents of rape why girls were out so late
Altone D’Costa, a Congress leader, wondered why should not law-abiding citizens be out and moving around freely. “Criminals should be in jail and law-abiding citizens should be out freely moving around,” he said
Opposition Congress on Thursday hit out at Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant over the “deteriorating law-and-order situation” in the state following his comments a day earlier asking parents of two girls allegedly raped on Sunday to introspect why their children were on a beach late at night.
Altone D’Costa, a Congress leader, wondered why should not law-abiding citizens be out and moving around freely. “Criminals should be in jail and law-abiding citizens should be out freely moving around,” he said.
Four men have been arrested for posing as policemen and allegedly raping the two girls after beating up two boys who were with them on Sunday.
Sawant made the comments three days later on Wednesday during a debate in the state assembly.
Also Read | No final decision, says Goa CM on projects in Western Ghats
“When 14-year-olds stay on the beach the whole night, the parents need to introspect. Just because children do not listen, we cannot put the responsibility on the government and police,” said Sawant, who is also the home minister and in charge of law-and-order in the state.
He added parents have responsibility to ensure the safety of their children.
Goa Forward Party lawmaker Vijai Sardesai called it “disgusting” that Sawant is making such statements. “The safety of citizens is the responsibility of police and state government. If they cannot provide it to us, the chief minister has no right to continue.”
In a tweet, Independent lawmaker Rohan Khaunte said: “It is shocking that @goacm (Sawant) is blaming parents for allowing their children to venture out in the night claiming that it is not safe. if State govt can’t assure us our security, who can give it? Goa has a history of being safe state for women, that tag is being lost in @BJP4Goa (Bharatiya Janata Party) rule.”
Sawant argued against blaming the police alone. “We directly blame police, but I want to point out that of the 10 youth who went to the beach for a party, four stayed on the beach the whole night and the remaining six went home,” he said.
“They were on the beach the whole night, two boys and two girls. He said teens, particularly minors, should not be spending nights on beaches.
