Three separate incidents involving the harassment of women tourists, including foreign nationals, were reported at popular beaches in Goa over February 5 and 6, with timely intervention by Drishti Marine Beach Marshals and lifesavers leading to police involvement and preventive action.
On February 5, at around 3:45 pm at Baga beach, two male tourists from Telangana were bathing in shallow water near the shore, where a foreign female tourist was also standing. Both the tourists appeared to have consumed alcohol at the time. One of the tourists asked the woman if he could take a selfie with her, which she refused. After a while, the second tourist approached her again, attempted to put his hand around her waist and tried to kiss her.
The woman tourist, whose nationality is unknown, was uncomfortable and complained to nearby lifesavers. The lifesaver immediately intervened and called a Drishti Marine Beach Marshal to the spot. Lady Beach Marshal Laxmi Kholkar arrived along with a police constable and learnt about the incident first-hand from the victim. The victim was escorted to the lifesaver tower, even as the accompanying policeman summoned backup. The two errant tourists were taken to the police station for further action.
A second incident of harassment involving Russian female tourists by Indian tourists was reported on February 6 at Baga Beach. Beach Marshal Laxmi Kholkar and Lifesaver Ankur were on duty at the time. Upon receiving the complaint, they immediately informed the police. Two police personnel arrived at the location and intervened. After discussion and verification, the Russian tourists chose not to press formal charges. The involved Indian tourists were issued a strict warning by the police and subsequently allowed to leave.
On the same day, a third incident was reported at Colva beach, where a group of seven to eight tourists from Karnataka were present near the shoreline. One individual from the group was found recording videos of foreign tourists without their consent, including filming a foreign tourist entering the water and continuing to record while another foreign tourist was seated on the beach. Noticing the incident, the on-duty lifesaver Captain immediately intervened, stopped the individual and handed him over to the police for further action.
The incidents at Baga have been recorded on the body camera outfitted to a Drishti Marine Beach Marshal’s official gear, marking some of the early instances where both the scene of the incident and the victim’s account have been captured live on video.
Currently, around 70 Beach Marshals are posted on five popular beaches in Goa, namely Baga, Calangute, Candolim, Colva and Benaulim, as part of the state’s beach safety and prevention-of-illegalities framework.