Dear Goanet Readers. I lived in sanvordem/Curchorem during my school days and a few more years following that.The community was mostly made up of Hindus. Catholics were a sizable population and Muslims made up of tiny minority.There were two or three well to do Muslim Families. Due to the mining activities, there were a lot of so called outsiders, but hardly any of them were Muslims. My school, which was one of the well known Catholic schools in Goa, had students from all communities and was a mixed school.The town itself was a quiet and peaceful one and never had communal tensions. Mind you , this was a strong MGP territory and I am sure there were very many active RSS guys then.
When the riots took place, it shocked me. I phoned to inquire about some of the families and friends I knew. During my visit to Goa after the riots, I visited the town and talked to a lot of people I knew to find out the real cause of the problem as you never get the facts from the press. After reading the post riot document by the Delhi based Muslim Organization,I was not surprised by the findings! I would like to make the following comments regarding this sad episode and hope that it never happens in Goa again. 1. Why the fact finding mission was not conducted by an Independent Commission? 2. Were people from different communities who have lived there and present during the riots interviewed? was it selective? 3. What were the credibility and credentials of people who were selected by this Organization. 4. There was no mention of presence of large number of Muslims from outside Sanvordem which resulted in violence going out of hand. 4. If the Organization belonged to the affected community, it is bound to be biased. 5. It was a major law and order situation. So, why the government then in power, which was Congress, did not act swiftly? Or, was it a deliberate ploy to accuse BJP of communalism?Were the Congressmen involved as well? I would like to write some of the comments from people I talked to.They are not my assumptions or inferences or hearsay. These people are moderate, secular and peace loving and lived with different communities for years. "We knew this would eventually happen. There are too many outsiders.Why some community should have all the benefits when we are struggling for our daily bread? Some of these mosques are importing preachers from outside and we do not know what they are preaching .I wonder how many of these are terrorists and criminals. Another resident came up with his version saying, “How come that commission did not report that about 2 bus loads of Muslims were brought from Bhutkal area to fight with local majorities? How come the commission did not clarify as to why most Muslims who claimed compensation for their destroyed vehicles during the riots had come to Curchorem on the riot day? What was their intension of coming to Curchorem with their vehicles? Huge gathering of Muslims, both from outside Goa and from all round Goa, was a clear signal of starting a riot in Curchorem. We will never ever tolerate this thing any time ……….hence forth also. This violence was the result of built up resentment against the influx of Migrants and one can palpate this feeling all over Goa.The ? illegal building of the madrassa/ Mosque in a Government property was the trigger point. Goans are really concerned about the overwhelming influx of immigrants. When the riots start, then it becomes free for all with people settling their old and new scores and even hurt those people who they have known and lived for years.The classic case is that of RAWANDA and IRAQ! The question everybody must ask is, why this has happened in a predominantly Hindu populated place where Catholics, Muslims, Gujeratis and other Indians( who are mostly educated) lived in perfect harmony all these years? It is very easy to point fingers at BJP and RSS.But, the fact remains that it happened during the Congress rule, and if BJP/RSS wanted to create this trouble, they could have easily done it when they were in power. But of course, the congress supporters will say that BJP wanted to accuse the congress of not being able to protect the minorities.This debate will never end and will not help us solve the problem.The politicians will use it for their own political gains. I feel sorry for the people who suffered in the bargain and the town will not be the same again. Instead of Gadgil,Pandey and Nair, ( who were part of the fact finding mission and are bound to stick to their part of the story) it would be nice to hear from the people in the area who will have the real story to tell! It is time for the Goans to question why there was almost a similar situation in Chinchinim? why, Goans who have been hospitable and tolerant are suddenly becoming averse to outsiders ? No point in putting a adhesive tape over a sore wound, one must find the root cause.Politicians pretend ignorance, and sadly the press has no guts or courage to report the facts.what is even more sad is, that some prominent members of society choose to remain silent so as not to upset their political friends or perhaps they have their own vested interest! Most of the Goan Muslim population is based in North Goa and Ponda and never had problems. I am informed that Margao itself has about ? 20 Mosques most of which have come up illegally with the support of the local MLA.There is a huge one being built at Verna, close to the junction of airport road and the massive plot of land behind it is supposed to be owned by the ex-Muslim MLA and reserved for the particular minority community. I wonder where all this funding is coming from? Why Goa government is not investigation the matter ? With all these ghettos of immigrants mushrooming all over Goa, and the anti-Goan feeling running so high, I would not be surprised if we see much worse scenes than we have seen in Sanvordem. It will be a real disaster for Goa. regards, Dr. Anesimo Fernandes ________________________________________________________________________ More new features than ever. Check out the new AIM(R) Mail ! - http://webmail.aim.com
