There is no doubt that Goa has more migrants than the local Goans itself employed in the various places in the state. All the major businesses in Goa have been run by the outsiders starting from the Hotels, Restaurants, Tour and Travels, and Mining has major stakeholders from the outside of Goa. This situation is a prevailing one and no-one can change it now. The instances of regular fights over this issue are very common in the state since the locals become more sensitive when the outsiders involved in any of the commercial activities. The issue here in this story started with a small quarrel and ended in the destruction of five houses of the migrants leaving their families homeless. read the complete report here.
[su_expand more_text=”READ MORE” less_text=” ” height=”0″ hide_less=”yes” link_style=”button” link_align=”center”]According to the reports based on the various sources, petty quarrel that broke out between the two mining truck drivers over the overtaking on a narrow road has been escalated into a full blown war in which the five houses of the migrants have been destroyed by the local mob leaving the five families on the roads. The Mob has said to have set the scrapyard owned by the migrants on fire and destroyed their houses completely. This incident took place on the Saturday at Usgao in Ponda Taluka.
The sources have also informed that no action have been taken into this matter by the local police as yet since all the police force has been busy in the BRICS duty. The sources have revealed that the petty quarrel between Balaraj Honsamani (the migrant) and Shailendra (Goan) both working as a truck driver, has lead to big fight later on. According to the sources, both were proceeding in the similar direction wherein one tried to overtake other in the narrow lane. Later the Balaraj after returning home gathered around eight people and (relatives) and went to the electric shop owned by Shailendra’s brother Sidhant at Usgaon and manhandled him.
Angered at the manhandling, Sidhant’s relatives, neighbors, and locals – numbering over seventy went in a gang to the residences of Balaraj and his relatives and destroyed five houses, two shops, a scrap-yard, a flat and a number of vehicles. When the mob-attack ended five families were rendered homeless. Following this incident, both the locals and the migrants rushed to Ponda police station to complain about each other.
Though the attack took place between 11.30 am and 2.30 pm, no panchanama was conducted till evening, as most of the police personnel from Ponda were deployed for BRICS summit at Margao. However, later in the evening police were deployed at Usgao to maintain law and order.
The destructions of the properties are said to have been running into several lakhs of rupees that are damaged by the irate mob. According to sources, the house of Arjun Honshamani was totally gutted in the fire, while the house his brother Maruthi Honshumani and of one Babu Bhimappa Wadar were totally damaged. Arjun’s two shops, a scrap-yard, and his vehicles were burnt down in a fire set by the mob. The flat set on fire reportedly belongs to Balaraj who picked up a quarrel with Shailendra.
The migrant families whose houses have been completely destroyed by the mob have told the media that they were not connected to the fight took place between the two and yet their houses were destroyed by the mob. They also complained that the locals were threatening them to leave Usgao. Meanwhile, Usgao locals gathered at the police station in large numbers demanding the arrested of Arjun and other migrants who manhandled Sidhant.
The police sources have informed that no formal offense has been registered against anyone as yet although the complaints and counter complaints have been lodged in the police station by both the parties. Police have deployed the extra force to keep control over the situation in the area. The reports also claim that the migrants, who are the residents of the Karnataka have been threatening the locals with the swords.
This incident turned the scuffle into a conflict between Goans versus non-Goans, that led to clashes resulting in ransacking and setting fire residential houses of the non-Goans. The villages were tense following the clashes with rumors that a large group was arriving from Hubballi, Karnataka, with swords to retaliate the ransacking of the houses.
Source: Various Sources
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