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Be good citizens first Goa is usually in the news for its lovely beaches, cuisine, Feny and the film festival. This time unfortunately, it was the murder of British teenager Scarlett Keeling, that brought this beach hub into headlines. It would have gone down as yet another case of a foreigner taking drugs had it not been for Fiona, Scarlett's mother who highlighted the case. The rape and then murder of 15-year-old Scarlett evoked sympathy and shock. The cops finally cracked the case and now all the skeletons in the cupboard are coming out. The initial charge by Fiona against the police for not moving swiftly was well taken. However, she went too far in blaming the entire police department and the Government for what happened to Scarlett. The coverage by the media also helped in giving an impression that the entire Goan Government was to be blamed for the incident. Is this the true picture? Scarlett was a drug addict, found in a shack, drugged out of her senses at 3 am. The mother was away with her other children, leaving Scarlett alone. As a mother, I am shocked. Can you imagine an Indian mother leaving her teenaged daughter with unknown people? In which part of the world can a single woman go to an isolated place, in the wee hours? I haven't heard of foreigners getting raped or pickpocketed in New York, Atlanta or Chicago complaining against the US Government for what happened to them. None of my women friends has ever tried to go alone to lonely places abroad even in the so-called 'safe countries' like England or the rest of Europe for that matter. All those people who accused the Government for everything in the world on TV channels should thank their stars that they are in a country where the true spirit of democracy exists. I wish they tried doing the same in countries like China or Pakistan. If they feel so strongly against the Government why didn't they enforce their right to vote. People who start chattering the moment they see a TV camera can't even take out five minutes for exercising their vote! And instead of blaming the Government for everything, let's blame ourselves for the rot in the society. Let's blame the mother too. As for the TV channels, TRP is all that matter. One expected that the media would be objective instead of going on a tirade against perceived enemies. I wish, it would ask the people to make Goa safe. Do they want a cop for every tourist? Surely not. How about becoming honest and sensitive towards our fellow beings? In short, how about becoming good citizens?
