‘Illegal’ Bangladeshi national still in Goa
Has No Valid Travel Documents, Say Cops
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: Even as home minister P Chidambaram has indicated the need to enforce stricter measures to check illegal immigration from Bangladesh, as nationals from that country have “no business” to be in India without permission, the Goa government has been struggling for over a month to deport a Bangladeshi national who has been staying “illegally” in Goa for the last eight years.
Clueless about what to do with a Bangladeshi national in Goa and with no response from the ministry of external affairs (MEA) and with no place to keep him except the foreigner’s registration office (FRO), the Goa police have sent an urgent reminder on January 14 to the MEA to take up the case of the Bangladeshi national Ali Khan, 23, on top priority with the Bangladeshi embassy in New Delhi so that he can be deported at the earliest.
“Ali is a foreign national who has infiltrated into our country in 2001 from Bangladesh and claims to be a Bangladeshi. He has been staying in Goa since 2002. He doesn’t have a passport or any valid documents or a travel document. Without a valid travel document, we are finding it difficult to do away with this “illegal” migrant,” said SP (FRO) Tony Fernandes.
SP Fernandes added, “We have written to the MEA to take up the matter with the Bangladesh high commission to establish whether he is a Bangladeshi and if so, issue travel documents, so that he can be deported.”
Meanwhile, Ali is spending anxious moments at the FRO, which has become his home since last month. “I am tired of staying here without any work. I hope a decision is soon taken as this uncertainty is exasperating,” said Ali.
Ali was arrested by the Verna police on December 4, 2008, for overstaying in the country without valid documents. Since then, he has been staying at the FRO at Panaji as he can’t be sent to jail, as he has already served the seven-month term for overstaying without valid documents in 2007. He was arrested by the crime branch in September 2007, a few days before he married a local girl here. He was released on March 31, 2008, and since then was staying at Verna.
As the law does not permit one to be punished for the same offence twice, instead of sending him to prison the police sent him to the FRO so that he can be deported. But with no travel document or any other document to establish that he is a Bangladeshi, the police having a tough time trying to deport him. So he sleeps on the ground in a corner of the FRO and eats in the police canteen. All his expenses and needs are being taken care of by the FRO officials.
“Ali claims that he is from Bangladesh. But he doesn’t have any documents to confirm the same,” said FRO officials.
Ali, who smuggled into West Bengal from Satkhira, Bangladesh, in 2001, said, “I have not seen my father. I lost my mother when I was a kid. My house was destroyed in 2001 and then along with hundreds of people from my village, I walked for more than 4 hours to India. I was 15 then. I don’t have any papers or relatives to establish that I am a Bangladeshi.”
He added, “I want to stay in Goa. But if I am sent back to Bangladesh, I don’t know whether I will be able to return as I don’t have valid documents required to return.”
January 15,2009, The Times of India, Goa edition
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Laxity at nakabandis in North Goa irks SP
Laxity at nakabandis in North Goa irks SP
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: Within seconds of a nakabandi being declared, the Goa police throws in a security dragnet all over the place, with policemen rushing to fixed points to frisk people in vehicles and to check and round up any offender on the run.
However, a few hours later as the city sleeps, the policemen also discard their naka, living it open to unscrupulous elements and fleeing offenders, despite orders to be on guard.
Alarmed with the stark reality at check points across the state, the SP (North), who personally visited nakabandis on early January 10 and found the staff deployed at all points in Panaji, Porvorim and Mapusa missing, has issued a memo to the concerned sub-divisional police officers (SDPO) to take action against the defaulting officers. He has also asked them to forward a report to his office for the purpose of initiating necessary action.
Further, to avoid such instances where staff abandon nakabandi points before the stipulated time, the SP said, “Henceforth, a night gazetted officer (who is a police officer of the rank of DySP and above) should take responsibility to call off the nakabandi at the given time and during the period, he should personally visit all points and supervise the alertness and effectiveness of the staff in the future”.
When contacted, SP (north) Bosco George said, “A nakabandi is organized to ensure that an accused is confined within a small area and is easily apprehended. A lack of proper manning at nakabandi points indicates a breach in the security system. One poorly manned nakabandi could adversely affect the state’s entire security set-up.”
However, he refused to comment on the memo issued to the SDPOs stating, “It is a departmental matter”.
Sources said that police officials, in view of the Mandir Suraksha Samelan which had been scheduled to be held on January 10, 2009, had directed, via a wireless message on January 9, all those officers in charge of police stations in the North Goa district to organize nakabandis on the intervening night of January 9 and 10 between 1 am and 5 am. The objective of the task was to avoid any incidents of temple desecration on the eve of such a major occasion.
“The SP (North) personally checked all nakabandi points and found that the staff deployed at points falling within the jurisdiction of the Panaji, Porvorim and Mapusa police stations abandoned their points at 4.30 am instead of 5 am,” said sources. The SP, visibly upset with the lackadaisical attitude of the policemen, issued a memo to the SDPOs on January 10 stating, “This shows that those in charge of the police stations have not properly monitored the nakabandi points.
A nakabandi point needs to be manned by at least a police sub inspector (PSI) and three or four constables with at least one firearm — an AK47 or SLR. But a majority of the nakabandi points wore an isolated look after 3.30 am, police sources added.
When questioned, a police officer who had been manning a nakabandi admitted to TOI that after checking thoroughly for the initial few hours of nakabandi, they left their checkpoints late in the night as there was no one on the road.
January 14,2009, The Times of India, Goa edition
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: Within seconds of a nakabandi being declared, the Goa police throws in a security dragnet all over the place, with policemen rushing to fixed points to frisk people in vehicles and to check and round up any offender on the run.
However, a few hours later as the city sleeps, the policemen also discard their naka, living it open to unscrupulous elements and fleeing offenders, despite orders to be on guard.
Alarmed with the stark reality at check points across the state, the SP (North), who personally visited nakabandis on early January 10 and found the staff deployed at all points in Panaji, Porvorim and Mapusa missing, has issued a memo to the concerned sub-divisional police officers (SDPO) to take action against the defaulting officers. He has also asked them to forward a report to his office for the purpose of initiating necessary action.
Further, to avoid such instances where staff abandon nakabandi points before the stipulated time, the SP said, “Henceforth, a night gazetted officer (who is a police officer of the rank of DySP and above) should take responsibility to call off the nakabandi at the given time and during the period, he should personally visit all points and supervise the alertness and effectiveness of the staff in the future”.
When contacted, SP (north) Bosco George said, “A nakabandi is organized to ensure that an accused is confined within a small area and is easily apprehended. A lack of proper manning at nakabandi points indicates a breach in the security system. One poorly manned nakabandi could adversely affect the state’s entire security set-up.”
However, he refused to comment on the memo issued to the SDPOs stating, “It is a departmental matter”.
Sources said that police officials, in view of the Mandir Suraksha Samelan which had been scheduled to be held on January 10, 2009, had directed, via a wireless message on January 9, all those officers in charge of police stations in the North Goa district to organize nakabandis on the intervening night of January 9 and 10 between 1 am and 5 am. The objective of the task was to avoid any incidents of temple desecration on the eve of such a major occasion.
“The SP (North) personally checked all nakabandi points and found that the staff deployed at points falling within the jurisdiction of the Panaji, Porvorim and Mapusa police stations abandoned their points at 4.30 am instead of 5 am,” said sources. The SP, visibly upset with the lackadaisical attitude of the policemen, issued a memo to the SDPOs on January 10 stating, “This shows that those in charge of the police stations have not properly monitored the nakabandi points.
A nakabandi point needs to be manned by at least a police sub inspector (PSI) and three or four constables with at least one firearm — an AK47 or SLR. But a majority of the nakabandi points wore an isolated look after 3.30 am, police sources added.
When questioned, a police officer who had been manning a nakabandi admitted to TOI that after checking thoroughly for the initial few hours of nakabandi, they left their checkpoints late in the night as there was no one on the road.
January 14,2009, The Times of India, Goa edition
Violence at home: Mum's the word
Violence at home: Mum's the word
PANAJI: Strange but true. The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 3, reveals that only 25% of women in Goa who have ever experienced domestic
violence have sought help to end it, while more than three out of five women in the state have neither sought help nor told anyone about incidents of domestic violence that they might have experienced.
The study reveals that abused women most often seek help from their own family, while a meagre five per cent prefer police intervention. Incidentally, this rating is higher than the national average of two per cent.
Among women aged between 15 to 49 years of age, 14 % have ever experienced physical violence and two per cent have ever experienced sexual violence. About 12% of women have reported experiencing spousal emotional violence. It would be interesting to note that the prevalence of physical and sexual violence is lower in Goa than in any other state in India, except Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
The survey also reveals that while the incidence of men abusing women is high, two per cent of married women are also reported to have initiated violence against their husbands. Data obtained suggests that most women who are victims of domestic violence are those with no education (36%) and with low wealth (33 to 39%).
Further, more than one-fifth (54%) of women whose husbands consume alcohol experience spousal violence, compared to the eight per cent of those whose husbands don't drink. The irony is that 39% of women, as compared to 35 % men, believe that it is justifiable for a husband to beat his wife under some circumstances. What is most ironical however, is that around 26% of women believe that wife beating is justified if she neglects the house or children, while 22% of the fairer sex accept beating if they show disrespect to their in-laws.
Data also indicates that one in three women and one in two men don't agree that a woman has the right to refuse sex to her husband.
17 Jan 2009,The Times of India, Goa edition
PANAJI: Strange but true. The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 3, reveals that only 25% of women in Goa who have ever experienced domestic
violence have sought help to end it, while more than three out of five women in the state have neither sought help nor told anyone about incidents of domestic violence that they might have experienced.
The study reveals that abused women most often seek help from their own family, while a meagre five per cent prefer police intervention. Incidentally, this rating is higher than the national average of two per cent.
Among women aged between 15 to 49 years of age, 14 % have ever experienced physical violence and two per cent have ever experienced sexual violence. About 12% of women have reported experiencing spousal emotional violence. It would be interesting to note that the prevalence of physical and sexual violence is lower in Goa than in any other state in India, except Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
The survey also reveals that while the incidence of men abusing women is high, two per cent of married women are also reported to have initiated violence against their husbands. Data obtained suggests that most women who are victims of domestic violence are those with no education (36%) and with low wealth (33 to 39%).
Further, more than one-fifth (54%) of women whose husbands consume alcohol experience spousal violence, compared to the eight per cent of those whose husbands don't drink. The irony is that 39% of women, as compared to 35 % men, believe that it is justifiable for a husband to beat his wife under some circumstances. What is most ironical however, is that around 26% of women believe that wife beating is justified if she neglects the house or children, while 22% of the fairer sex accept beating if they show disrespect to their in-laws.
Data also indicates that one in three women and one in two men don't agree that a woman has the right to refuse sex to her husband.
17 Jan 2009,The Times of India, Goa edition
Goans richer than other Indians
Goans richer than other Indians
PANAJI: Goans have more wealth than their counterparts in other states. This was discovered by the National Family Health Survey 3, which reveals that the state handsomely meets the three essential requirements of roti, kapda aur makaan.
The report states that over 55% of Goan households are in the highest wealth quintile (a fifth of a given amount). Only 23% of Goa's households are in the three lowest wealth quintiles as compared to about 60% in the rest of the country. In Goa only 3% of the households fall in the lowest wealth quintile, of which 1% are in urban areas and 5% in rural areas.
Among all states, Goa along with Punjab is third, behind Delhi and Himachal Pradesh in terms of electrification, as 85% urban households and 59% rural households live in pucca house and more than 96% have electricity.
The NFHS-3, conducted in 2005-06, is based on a sample of 3231 households to obtain information on population, health and nutrition in the state and reveals that two-third households in state (82% in urban and 44% in rural areas) have piped water, while 24% of households have no toilet facilities. Of these, 14% are in urban areas.
The report also states that a majority of the people go to the private medical sector for treatment, either due to lack of a government facility in the vicinity, poor quality of government health care and long waiting periods in government health facilities.
Education is also a priority in the state and only 13% of women and 6% of men have never gone to school. About 49% of the people in the age group of 15 to 49 have completed 10 or more years of education. However, NFHS-3 figures show that Goa has yet to attain 100% literacy. According to the survey, a person is literate if they have either completed at least standard VI or passed a simple literacy test conducted as part of the survey. The results showed that 84% women and 90% of men in the age of 15 to 49 are literate.
The survey goes on to say that adults in Goa suffer from a dual burden of malnutrition, as about one-fourth of adults are too thin, while on the other hand 20% of the women and 15% of the men are overweight or obese.
The report also states that 52% of women and 60% of men have a healthy weight for their height. In comparison, about one-fourth (26%) of the children under the age of five years are stunted or too short for their age, which indicates that they are undernourished for some time.
Incidentally, the prevalence of anaemia in children in the state has declined over the years, but that among married women this has increased by 3%. About 38% of women and children and 10% of men in the state are anaemic. Yet the nutritional status of children in Goa is better than in most other states, the report noted.
17 Jan 2009, The Times of India, Goa edition
PANAJI: Goans have more wealth than their counterparts in other states. This was discovered by the National Family Health Survey 3, which reveals that the state handsomely meets the three essential requirements of roti, kapda aur makaan.
The report states that over 55% of Goan households are in the highest wealth quintile (a fifth of a given amount). Only 23% of Goa's households are in the three lowest wealth quintiles as compared to about 60% in the rest of the country. In Goa only 3% of the households fall in the lowest wealth quintile, of which 1% are in urban areas and 5% in rural areas.
Among all states, Goa along with Punjab is third, behind Delhi and Himachal Pradesh in terms of electrification, as 85% urban households and 59% rural households live in pucca house and more than 96% have electricity.
The NFHS-3, conducted in 2005-06, is based on a sample of 3231 households to obtain information on population, health and nutrition in the state and reveals that two-third households in state (82% in urban and 44% in rural areas) have piped water, while 24% of households have no toilet facilities. Of these, 14% are in urban areas.
The report also states that a majority of the people go to the private medical sector for treatment, either due to lack of a government facility in the vicinity, poor quality of government health care and long waiting periods in government health facilities.
Education is also a priority in the state and only 13% of women and 6% of men have never gone to school. About 49% of the people in the age group of 15 to 49 have completed 10 or more years of education. However, NFHS-3 figures show that Goa has yet to attain 100% literacy. According to the survey, a person is literate if they have either completed at least standard VI or passed a simple literacy test conducted as part of the survey. The results showed that 84% women and 90% of men in the age of 15 to 49 are literate.
The survey goes on to say that adults in Goa suffer from a dual burden of malnutrition, as about one-fourth of adults are too thin, while on the other hand 20% of the women and 15% of the men are overweight or obese.
The report also states that 52% of women and 60% of men have a healthy weight for their height. In comparison, about one-fourth (26%) of the children under the age of five years are stunted or too short for their age, which indicates that they are undernourished for some time.
Incidentally, the prevalence of anaemia in children in the state has declined over the years, but that among married women this has increased by 3%. About 38% of women and children and 10% of men in the state are anaemic. Yet the nutritional status of children in Goa is better than in most other states, the report noted.
17 Jan 2009, The Times of India, Goa edition
Minors in love go missing
Minors in love go missing
Preetu Nair, TNN
PANAJI: In December 2008, six persons were reported missing in the capital city. Of these, three were minor girls and police investigations
revealed they had eloped with their respective lovers.
The Panaji police traced two of them and lodged cases of kidnapping against the boyfriends for wrongful confinement of the minors.
In a state where 780 people went missing in 2008, and where on an average over 65 missing complaints were lodged in police stations across the state every month, a third of those missing were youth.
Data available with the Goa police from 2005 to October 2008 shows that more girls than boys (below 18 years) are reported missing.
Arun Pandey of Arz, an NGO said, "A majority of the minors run away due to a conflict in the family or a love affair objected to by family members."
The police confirm this. "The moment a minor girl goes missing, we try to find out if she was 'friendly' with any male. In a majority of cases, we found that the girl was friendly and around the same time when the girl had gone missing, her friend also went missing. Our efforts are then to trace either of them. Once the girl is traced, a majority of parents insist on registering a case of kidnapping, while some try to hush up the matter," said SP (South) Allen D'Sa.
Between 2005 and October 2008, data for which is available with the police, about 500 minor girls went missing. Of these 414 were traced and in a majority of the cases it was established that they had eloped with their boyfriends, admit police sources.
16 Jan 2009, The Times of India, Goa edition
Preetu Nair, TNN
PANAJI: In December 2008, six persons were reported missing in the capital city. Of these, three were minor girls and police investigations
revealed they had eloped with their respective lovers.
The Panaji police traced two of them and lodged cases of kidnapping against the boyfriends for wrongful confinement of the minors.
In a state where 780 people went missing in 2008, and where on an average over 65 missing complaints were lodged in police stations across the state every month, a third of those missing were youth.
Data available with the Goa police from 2005 to October 2008 shows that more girls than boys (below 18 years) are reported missing.
Arun Pandey of Arz, an NGO said, "A majority of the minors run away due to a conflict in the family or a love affair objected to by family members."
The police confirm this. "The moment a minor girl goes missing, we try to find out if she was 'friendly' with any male. In a majority of cases, we found that the girl was friendly and around the same time when the girl had gone missing, her friend also went missing. Our efforts are then to trace either of them. Once the girl is traced, a majority of parents insist on registering a case of kidnapping, while some try to hush up the matter," said SP (South) Allen D'Sa.
Between 2005 and October 2008, data for which is available with the police, about 500 minor girls went missing. Of these 414 were traced and in a majority of the cases it was established that they had eloped with their boyfriends, admit police sources.
16 Jan 2009, The Times of India, Goa edition
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