Wary Goa set to usher in Christmas

PANAJI - On the heels of US based terror suspect David Coleman Headley’s reported visit to the state earlier this year, a wary Goa is all set to usher in Christmas celebrations amid high security.

After planting armed bunkers on its beaches last year amidst a heightened state of alert following the Mumbai terror strikes, the Goa police have initiated a special set of security measures to ensure a safe Christmas in coordination with church authorities in the state.

State Home Minister Ravi Naik had warned about intelligence inputs which suggested that Pakistan based terror groups were planning to indulge in “spectacular violence” in Goa.

“We have asked members of the various church parish committees to help our teams to identify strangers and unknown persons during midnight masses and other festive celebrations,” police spokesperson Atmaram Deshpande told IANS.

Headley’s visit to Anjuna in north Goa, 17 km from here, and his stay near a Jewish prayer house in the coastal village had triggered alarm bells in the state police set-up.

What compounds the security issue is that while Goa sees a sizeable population of Israeli tourists — who were reportedly in Headley’s crosshairs, the state also witnesses a frenzy of rave parties and festive activity around Christmas and New Year.

To add to the security conundrum, last Diwali, two members attached to the Hindu right wing organisation Sanatan Sanstha tried to engineer a crude bomb blast on the eve of the festival.

But the attempt failed after the detonator-rigged gelatine sticks they were intending to plant near a festive gathering accidentally exploded killing them both.

Security near churches and other religious places has been beefed up, with the addition of 400 central paramilitary forces and the 800-odd state reserve police force, apart from some 4,000 police personnel.

“Parish priests and parishioners have also been taken into confidence and sensitised by our beat police officials about what to do and what not to in case of a crisis,” Deshpande said.

Goa, which has a nearly 30 percent Christian population, also sees huge tourist traffic from Dec 25 to Jan 1 and hosts an impressive Christmas soiree annually.

–Indo Asian News Service