The Goa gang-rape case of two minor girls caught some atrocious comments from the state Chief Minister Pramod Sawant who seemed to blame the girls and their parents for allowing them to go out. The remarks sparked massive outrage from people across the country as he attempted to shake the blame off the government and police in the matter “just because children don’t listen”.
In the Assembly held yesterday, Sawant jerked off the responsibility from his shoulders while holding the parents guilty of giving their children permission to go to the beach at night. During the time of the incident, the survivors were on a beach located around 30 km from the state capital Panaji.
The head of Home Ministry and the CM, Sawant, said, “When 14-year-old children stay on the beach the whole night, the parents need to introspect. Just because children don’t listen, we cannot put the responsibility on the government and police.”
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Especially because they were minors, the girls and boys shouldn’t have been given the liberty by the parents who did not fulfill their duty, he said.
Instead of blaming the police, he went ahead to “point out that of the 10 youth who went to the beach for a party, four stayed on the beach the whole night… two boys and two girls. Teens, particularly minors, should not be spending the nights on beaches.”
The shocking remarks over an extremely sensitive matter from the highest authority of the state raised several questions on Sawant’s leadership while also resulting in a huge uproar. Opposition leaders demanded the minister’s resignation and called out the BJP government, claiming that the state had become increasingly unsafe and dangerous for women to live since the party started ruling Goa.
Randeep Singh Surjewala, Senior Congress leader slammed Sawant. He tweeted saying, “And Chief Minister should quit and go home for such preposterous ‘pearls of wisdom’!”
Goa Congress spokesperson Altone D’Costa questioned the need for citizens to get afraid of going about their own state as it is the responsibility of the law protectors to ensure security. “Why should we fear while moving around at night? Criminals should be in jail and law-abiding citizens should be out freely moving around,” Mr D’Costa said.
Joining in was Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi who lashed out at the Chief Minister calling him “shameless”. “When 14-year-olds stay on the beach the whole night, the parents need to introspect’ – Goa Chief Minister on gang rape on Goa Beach. This is a sick and brazen abdication of responsibility to keep Goa safe. Shameless,” she tweeted.
Following his alliance announcement with the Congress to contest in next year’s election, Goa Forward Party president Vijai Sardesai termed the comments “disgusting”, calling for the CM’s disposal from the seat.
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“The safety of citizens is the responsibility of the police and state government. If they can’t provide it, the Chief Minister has no right to sit in the post,” Mr Sardesai said. He had opted out of the BJP-led NDA alliance in April due to their “anti-Goan policies.
An independent MLA, Rohan Khaunte, questioned the government’s role in protecting citizens and how Goa lost its ‘safe for women’ tag after BJP set its foot here.
Identifying themselves as policemen, 4 men- one of whom was a government employee- raped two girls after mercilessly hitting the boys. The incident took place on Benaulim beach in Goa. Though all 4 accused have been arrested, one MLA claimed during the Assembly that an “influential person” was supporting the accused and making efforts to protect him. The Wednesday discussion also witnessed another MLA saying that a minister was trying to make similar attempts by influencing the probe.
