Congress condemns police manhandling of woman protester at Azad Maidan

Goa Khabar: The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) has strongly condemned the alleged manhandling of a young female protester at Azad Maidan on Sunday, demanding a thorough investigation into who issued the detention orders when no prohibitory directives were in force.

Addressing a press conference on Monday, Goa Mahila Congress President Dr Pratiksha Khalap, along with party spokespersons Adv Amit Palekar and Samil Volvoikar, denounced the government’s actions to suppress the demonstration against SIR and criticised the misuse of police machinery.

Dr Khalap stated that a young woman protester, Amreen Shaikh, was manhandled at Azad Maidan while participating in a peaceful protest.

“In our country and culture, every woman is revered as a representation of the divine, and women are treated with the highest respect. We invoke the names of goddesses first—Gauri Shankar, Radha Krishna, Sita Ram—and Goa itself is considered the land of Goddess Shantadurga. During Navratri, we worship feminine power and divine energy. However, the atrocity committed against a young woman, Amreen Shaikh, was a truly shameful act,” Dr Khalap said.

“The BJP government and the Chief Minister, who holds the Home portfolio, are directly responsible. The manner in which she was dragged away by her arms and legs by the police—does any citizen deserve this kind of treatment? What was her crime—peacefully protesting? We are witnessing a surge in crime across Goa, yet we never see the police acting with such speed against rapists, dacoits, and other criminals. When citizens protest peacefully against the SIR, the government treats them like terrorists,” she added.

Demanding an impartial inquiry, Dr Khalap said, “The Mahila Congress condemns this blatant disrespect toward a young woman. We demand an impartial inquiry to identify who ordered the manhandling of protesters, and those responsible must be taken to task. Self-proclaimed defenders of Hinduism are labelling peaceful protesters as terrorists. The BJP organizes ‘Nari Shakti’ programmes, yet fails to show basic respect to women who raise their voices in protest. Such incidents must not recur, and the government must strictly adhere to established rules and norms.”

Adv Palekar stated that the state government is misusing police resources to stifle public discourse, emphasising that no prohibitory orders had been promulgated under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).

“Citizens are forced to take to the streets due to misgovernance and ongoing atrocities under the BJP rule. Holding peaceful protests is a constitutional right guaranteed to every citizen under Article 19. We are witnessing an attempt by the BJP to suppress such demonstrations across the country. Designated protest sites like Jantar Mantar and Azad Maidan exist precisely so that people can voice their concerns without hindrance; even the BJP utilised these spaces when they were in opposition,” Adv Palekar said.

“With a heavy police deployment at Azad Maidan, authorities attempted to obstruct activists and citizens, yet they failed to explain under what legal provisions they were acting. It appears as though an undeclared emergency and dictatorship are in effect,” he said.

“Crime has increased tremendously, yet the government is deploying the police to prevent youth, including Gen Z and Gen Alpha, from expressing their dissent. The government, magistrate, and police must answer who issued the detention orders. Even the High Court noted on Sunday that no prohibitory orders appeared to be in effect. A woman activist’s clothes were torn while she was being forcibly removed. We condemn this high-handed action,” Adv Palekar said.

Volvoikar affirmed the party’s backing of the student and youth-led demonstrations.

“We condemn the manner in which the police are being used to assault protesting students. We have never witnessed such tactics in the past. The primary role of the police is to control crime. Incidents of rape and drug offenses are rising, yet the government remains fixated on protests. Our leader Rahul Gandhi raised the issue of electoral irregularities a year ago with evidence. The BJP utilised CEC Gyanesh Kumar in previous elections across Haryana, Maharashtra, West Bengal, and Bihar, and is now deploying the police force to shield him,” Volvoikar said.