Andhra student dies in Goa
Preetu Nair, TNN
PANAJI: A 22-year-old engineering student from Hyderabad, Aditya Reddy, who was on a trip to Goa along with two of his friends died in a primary
health centre at Candolim.
The police suspect that it could be a case of drug overdose. However, the postmortem report is inconclusive and the victims viscera has been preserved for chemical analysis.
Police sources said Aditya Reddy, who is from an influential business and political family in AP, had come on a trip to Goa along with three friends on March 8. On Friday morning at about 8 am, Aditya started vomiting and his friend called for the ambulance. Aditya was shifted to PHC, Candolim, where he was declared brought dead. Later, the body was sent for post-mortem to GMC.
Police sources said that the post-mortem report stated the cause of death was due to severe pulmonary and cerebral edema. Forensic doctors said severe pulmonary and cerebral edema is majorly found in persons who have died due to drug overdose or asthma problem.
Though one of Aditya's family members owns a resort in North Goa, the friends preferred to stay in a rented room at Baga. While one of the friends left on Thursday morning, Aditya and his other friend were to leave on Friday. Police sources said, they would be out of the room most of the time and came back only late in the night. Even on Friday the two friends returned at around 12.30 am after a party.
However, Police suspect that the Aditya was in the habit of consuming drugs, as on reaching his rented room at Baga at about 8.30 am, the Calangute police found two empty syringe packets, chillums (to smoke hashish or ganja) and the room smelled of narcotic substance. However, the police said that they didnt find any narcotic drugs in the room.
Confirming that the post-mortem has been conducted, SP (PRO) Atmaram Deshpande said, The cause of death is not clear as the viscera is preserved for analysis. No foul play is suspected in the preliminary investigation.
14 March 2009, The Times of India, Goa edition
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Police send Fiona 2-page questionnaire
Police send Fiona 2-page questionnaire
Preetu Nair, TNN
PANAJI: With British teenager Scarlett Keeling's mother Fiona Mackeown reluctant to come to Goa fearing arrest, the Goa police have sent her a
two-page questionnaire and also requested her to be present for an inquiry into a complaint of neglect and failure to provide her daughter a safe environment, which ultimately led to the alleged rape and murder of the minor.
The Goa police, in a letter to Fiona, have sought to know whether she was "aware that Scarlett used to consume drugs/liquor," whether she was "visiting night clubs along with your children," if she was aware that "Scarlett was in love with Julio Lobo" or "Lobo in love with Scarlett" and that "Julio and Scarlett were visiting nightclubs." Fiona is yet to reply to the questionnaire.
When TOI contacted Fiona through an email in Devon, UK, she said, "I did not know Scarlett was taking drugs and am certain that she was not taking drugs when we were in England. Scarlet told me that she had once tried cannabis but did not like it."
Recently, her former boyfriend Robert Clarke, with whom she had come to Goa along with her children, had claimed that Fiona was warned about Scarlett's drug dealing by one of her older sons.
"Most of his statements to the press were lies. I am starting to have doubts about Rob as a person. He told me shortly after I returned home that he was still in contact with people at Curlies. He also claimed to have seen scratches on Julio's arms and neck the day after Scarlett died. Why didn't he share with me or the police this information," she said.
The police have also asked Fiona about her ex-boyfriend Robert Clark and his profession, as well as Fiona's source of income. Police have also asked Fiona why she left Scarlett alone in Goa and left for Gokarna. They asked, "whether you had asked Scarlett to stay in Goa or she had stayed as per her own wish."
Responding to this, Fiona said that Scarlett didn't really refuse to leave Goa. "She expressed her wish to stay and work with Julio. After many long discussions we compromised and agreed that she could stay as long as she shared some of her time in India with us. Julio was a very good actor and played the part of a responsible caring adult very well."
The police have specifically asked Fiona whether she knew Julio before she came to India and whether she was aware that Julio was looking after the day-to-day expenditure of Scarlett. They have also asked about one teenager called Shanti and whether Shanti had damaged Julio's vehicle as Scarlet was moving with him.
March 14, 2009, The Times of India, Goa edition
Preetu Nair, TNN
PANAJI: With British teenager Scarlett Keeling's mother Fiona Mackeown reluctant to come to Goa fearing arrest, the Goa police have sent her a
two-page questionnaire and also requested her to be present for an inquiry into a complaint of neglect and failure to provide her daughter a safe environment, which ultimately led to the alleged rape and murder of the minor.
The Goa police, in a letter to Fiona, have sought to know whether she was "aware that Scarlett used to consume drugs/liquor," whether she was "visiting night clubs along with your children," if she was aware that "Scarlett was in love with Julio Lobo" or "Lobo in love with Scarlett" and that "Julio and Scarlett were visiting nightclubs." Fiona is yet to reply to the questionnaire.
When TOI contacted Fiona through an email in Devon, UK, she said, "I did not know Scarlett was taking drugs and am certain that she was not taking drugs when we were in England. Scarlet told me that she had once tried cannabis but did not like it."
Recently, her former boyfriend Robert Clarke, with whom she had come to Goa along with her children, had claimed that Fiona was warned about Scarlett's drug dealing by one of her older sons.
"Most of his statements to the press were lies. I am starting to have doubts about Rob as a person. He told me shortly after I returned home that he was still in contact with people at Curlies. He also claimed to have seen scratches on Julio's arms and neck the day after Scarlett died. Why didn't he share with me or the police this information," she said.
The police have also asked Fiona about her ex-boyfriend Robert Clark and his profession, as well as Fiona's source of income. Police have also asked Fiona why she left Scarlett alone in Goa and left for Gokarna. They asked, "whether you had asked Scarlett to stay in Goa or she had stayed as per her own wish."
Responding to this, Fiona said that Scarlett didn't really refuse to leave Goa. "She expressed her wish to stay and work with Julio. After many long discussions we compromised and agreed that she could stay as long as she shared some of her time in India with us. Julio was a very good actor and played the part of a responsible caring adult very well."
The police have specifically asked Fiona whether she knew Julio before she came to India and whether she was aware that Julio was looking after the day-to-day expenditure of Scarlett. They have also asked about one teenager called Shanti and whether Shanti had damaged Julio's vehicle as Scarlet was moving with him.
March 14, 2009, The Times of India, Goa edition
Most statutory rape cases fall flat in court
Most statutory rape cases fall flat in court
Preetu Nair, TNN
PANAJI: Two months into the year and the police have already registered five cases of rape of minor girls. In four of the cases, the "victims"
told the police they had accompanied the men to the spots where the "rapes" took place.
Audrey Pinto from the NGO Children’s Rights Goa said, "Talking to the victims we found that the girls had consensual sex. However, the boys were arrested as sex with a minor even though consensual is an offence."
There were 14 cases of rape of minors in 2006 and 18 in 2008. Sources said about six cases were disposed of in the children’s court without a conviction as the victim had turned hostile or the victim’s mother (who in most cases is the complainant) submitted that the accused has consented to marry the victim at a future date.
Admitting that this is not rare, Auda Viegas of Bailancho Ekvott said, "Society needs to introspect on this issue and we need to amend the law according to the needs of the time, as most girls now mature by 16."
Matthew Kurian of El Shaddai Charitable Trust feels that the age of maturity is even lower. He said, "Girls are now sexually active by the age of 13 or 14. They want to explore and strive for attention and are often exploited in the name of love and affection."
Police sources said confusion prevails when the girls are aged between 16 and 18. "The Goa Children’s Act says any child below 18 is a minor, but under the Indian Penal Code, consensual sex with a person above the age of 16 is not rape," said police sources.
13 Mar 2009,The Times of India, Goa edition
Preetu Nair, TNN
PANAJI: Two months into the year and the police have already registered five cases of rape of minor girls. In four of the cases, the "victims"
told the police they had accompanied the men to the spots where the "rapes" took place.
Audrey Pinto from the NGO Children’s Rights Goa said, "Talking to the victims we found that the girls had consensual sex. However, the boys were arrested as sex with a minor even though consensual is an offence."
There were 14 cases of rape of minors in 2006 and 18 in 2008. Sources said about six cases were disposed of in the children’s court without a conviction as the victim had turned hostile or the victim’s mother (who in most cases is the complainant) submitted that the accused has consented to marry the victim at a future date.
Admitting that this is not rare, Auda Viegas of Bailancho Ekvott said, "Society needs to introspect on this issue and we need to amend the law according to the needs of the time, as most girls now mature by 16."
Matthew Kurian of El Shaddai Charitable Trust feels that the age of maturity is even lower. He said, "Girls are now sexually active by the age of 13 or 14. They want to explore and strive for attention and are often exploited in the name of love and affection."
Police sources said confusion prevails when the girls are aged between 16 and 18. "The Goa Children’s Act says any child below 18 is a minor, but under the Indian Penal Code, consensual sex with a person above the age of 16 is not rape," said police sources.
13 Mar 2009,The Times of India, Goa edition
In rating, Goa schools fare poorly
In rating, Goa schools fare poorly
Preetu Nair, TNN
PANAJI: This is one report card that may not impress many. No one has achieved an A+ grade, very few made an A, while a majority attained B,
which means that the performance of those ranked is neither excellent nor good, but just satisfactory.
The grades awarded by Bharatiya Jain Sanghatana — Educational Quality Improvement Programme (BJS-EDUQIP), an NGO, for the Goa education department with an aim to improve the quality of education may be cause of concern to parents and educationists alike. The grading is also meant to help the department identify the strong and weak points of each school.
Only nine of the 307 high and higher secondary schools graded in the state got an A, while in the primary and middle sections just 28 made the mark. Goa has 1,266 primary schools, 71 middle schools, 374 high school and 79 higher secondary schools. However, about 243 schools governed by the Archdiocesan Board of Education didn’t participate in the grading system.
“The accreditation programme was designed and developed by including six main parameters — management/governance, infrastructure, administration, teachers, students and academics, besides 253 other parameters,” said BJS-EDUQIP manager Suhas Thakurdesai.
Education director Dr Celsa Pinto said, “We entered into a MoU with BJS-EDUQIP not just to detect the problem but to improve the situation in order to ensure that Goa has the country’s best education system within the next few years.”
20 Feb 2009, The Times of India, Goa edition
Preetu Nair, TNN
PANAJI: This is one report card that may not impress many. No one has achieved an A+ grade, very few made an A, while a majority attained B,
which means that the performance of those ranked is neither excellent nor good, but just satisfactory.
The grades awarded by Bharatiya Jain Sanghatana — Educational Quality Improvement Programme (BJS-EDUQIP), an NGO, for the Goa education department with an aim to improve the quality of education may be cause of concern to parents and educationists alike. The grading is also meant to help the department identify the strong and weak points of each school.
Only nine of the 307 high and higher secondary schools graded in the state got an A, while in the primary and middle sections just 28 made the mark. Goa has 1,266 primary schools, 71 middle schools, 374 high school and 79 higher secondary schools. However, about 243 schools governed by the Archdiocesan Board of Education didn’t participate in the grading system.
“The accreditation programme was designed and developed by including six main parameters — management/governance, infrastructure, administration, teachers, students and academics, besides 253 other parameters,” said BJS-EDUQIP manager Suhas Thakurdesai.
Education director Dr Celsa Pinto said, “We entered into a MoU with BJS-EDUQIP not just to detect the problem but to improve the situation in order to ensure that Goa has the country’s best education system within the next few years.”
20 Feb 2009, The Times of India, Goa edition
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