PANAJI, October 12: The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) has strongly condemned the alleged manhandling of a young woman protester during Sunday’s demonstration at Azad Maidan, Panaji, and demanded an impartial investigation into the police action and the authority under which protesters were detained.

Addressing a press conference on Monday, Goa Mahila Congress President Dr Pratiksha Khalap, accompanied by party spokespersons Adv Amit Palekar and Samil Volvoikar, accused the BJP government of misusing police machinery to suppress peaceful protests against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Dr Khalap alleged that young protester Amreen Shaikh was forcibly dragged by her arms and legs during the police operation. Calling the incident shameful and unacceptable, she held Chief Minister and Home Minister Dr Pramod Sawant accountable for the conduct of the police.

“The BJP government celebrates Nari Shakti but fails to respect women who exercise their democratic rights. What was Amreen Shaikh’s crime? Was peacefully protesting an offence?” she questioned.

Dr Khalap criticised the government’s priorities, alleging that police acted swiftly against peaceful demonstrators while serious crimes continued to trouble the state. She demanded that those responsible for ordering and carrying out the alleged manhandling be identified and held accountable.

Adv Amit Palekar questioned the legal basis of the police action, claiming that no prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) were in force at the time.

“Peaceful protest is a constitutional right under Article 19. Azad Maidan is a designated place for public demonstrations. Under whose instructions were citizens detained when no prohibitory orders existed?” Palekar asked.

He further claimed that the High Court had observed during Sunday’s proceedings that no prohibitory orders appeared to be in force. Alleging that a woman protester’s clothes were torn during the police action, Palekar described the incident as an example of excessive use of force.

“The government is creating an atmosphere resembling an undeclared emergency. Instead of tackling rising crime, the police are being deployed to silence young people and suppress dissent,” he alleged.

Congress spokesperson Samil Volvoikar extended the party’s support to the protesting students and youth, accusing the government of attempting to intimidate those questioning electoral processes.

Referring to allegations of electoral irregularities raised by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Volvoikar accused the BJP of using police machinery to shield Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar from public criticism.

The Congress demanded that the government disclose who authorised the detentions, clarify the legal provisions invoked by the police and initiate action against officials found responsible for any misconduct.