Section 144 Imposed in North Goa on Terror Warning; Congress Demands Casino Shutdown

The Goa government has received a warning from intelligence sources of a possible attempt by terrorists to enter the western coast through the sea route. Acting on the inputs, the district administration of North Goa has moved into a high-alert mode. District Magistrate, R Menaka issued a directive on February 10, imposing section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in the region for 60 days. The provisions of this section prohibit public gathering, banning unlawful assembly of four and more people in any area. The district administration has also warned residents to properly verify the identity of visitors, tenants, and tourists.

The move has been sharply opposed by the chief opposition party in the state, Congress. Charging that this has created a sense of alarm and is giving out the message that Goa is not safe for tourists, the Congress on Thursday demanded that casinos should be shut down first since they are soft targets for possible terror attacks.

Chief minister Pramod Sawant however, downplayed the imposition of section 144. Speaking to media on the sidelines of an event on Thursday, Sawant said, “Such orders are issued as a matter of routine process. At times the media does not even come to know about it. This time it came out in the open. No one should panic. Tourists need not worry. There is no fear of any terror threat.”

While security has been beefed up in North Goa, as of now, casino operations seem to be going on as usual. The Goa government has also made no official move to order temporary closure of casinos. The Deltin Poker Tournament (DPT) Xpress series that is scheduled to begin on February 27 is also very much on track.

Imposing Section 144 of CrPC

On February 10, District Magistrate of North Goa, R Menaka issued a directive, imposing section 144 of CrPC. The order is valid from February 11 to April 10. In the order, Menaka stated that people who give out their houses in residential areas on rent, hotel-owners and those running lodging and boarding, private guest houses, paying guest accommodation, etc. should strictly verify the identity of those already staying in these accommodation or potential customers.

“It is absolutely necessary to take speedy measures to prevent danger to human life, and thwart and prevent any type of terrorist activities which may affect the security of the state and create disturbance of public order and tranquity,” Menaka said.

Casino Business Affected?

While the initial fear was that with section 144 of CrPC imposed in North Goa, casinos would be forced to shut down, as per the latest reports, the offshore casinos are functioning smoothly.

The Business Head (Poker) at Delta Corp Ltd, Manish J. Adnani, when contacted, stated that Deltin Royale is open and business is going on as usual. “As of now there are no red flags,” Adnani said. When asked if the upcoming DPT Xpress is on track, he replied, “Our preparation is in full force and we’re looking forward to having a good event.”

Opposition Reacts

The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee has vehemently opposed the imposition of section 144 in North Goa. The Congress has demanded that if the terror intel warning is genuine, casinos should be shut down for 60 days since they could easily be attacked by terrorists.

Addressing a press conference at the party head office in Panjim on February 13, the Chief Spokesperson of Goa Congress, said, “If the government believes that the intelligence inputs are true, then casinos are the most vulnerable to become terror hideouts, where government security personnel do not have a free access.”

D’Mello drew a parallel between the government’s decision and the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and said, “So, is the government trying to say that the situation in Goa is as bad as the situation in Kashmir? The notification imposing Section 144 CrPC is mischievous and deplorable, as it can be misused by the authorities,” D’Mello said, adding that in its recent judgment, the Supreme Court had ruled that section 144 cannot be used to restrict citizens’ fundamental rights to assemble peacefully and cannot be used to prevent expression of opinion or curb any democratic rights. “This specific inclusion will be misused to harass people who have spoken against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), National Population Register (NPR) and National Register of Citizens (NRC).”

“The hideout for any terrorists are the casinos, where Goa Police and law enforcing authorities do not have free access. They should be stopped for a few days, otherwise you are playing the fool with the people of Goa,” D’Mello said.

For now, it seems things are running as usual in the coastal state’s offshore casinos. With CM Pramod Sawant himself calling the imposition of section 144 a routine precaution, it is unlikely that the government will order a shutdown of casinos.