Panaji, May 30 (IANS) The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), an alliance partner in the Goa government, Monday apologized to the tribal community over the death of two tribal activists during a protest.
Bharati Chavan, NCP’s observer in charge of Goa, said: ‘The NCP apologises to the members of the UTAA (United Tribal Associations Alliance) for the loss of their members.’
Chavan, who was in Goa to attend the party’s state executive committee meeting, also said the NCP, two of whose members are ministers in Goa’s Congress-led coalition cabinet, supported the demands of the community.
‘We support all their legitimate demands and we will work to ensure that they get them,’ Chavan said.
Tribals Mangesh Gaonkar and Dilip Velip were killed and their bodies were burnt by unknown persons following a day-long protest by nearly 10,000 tribals demanding that the implementation of tribal rights.
UTAA spokesperson Ramesh Tawadkar blamed the Congress and Chief Minister Digambar Kamat for not being able to address the demands of the community.
‘The chief minister is anti-tribal. He and his government have been sitting on the demands for nearly a year and a half now,’ Tawadkar said.
‘The police were mute spectators when Mangesh and Dilip were murdered by miscreants, none of whom the police have been able to arrest,’ he said.
