Statement by NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF PEOPLE’S MOVEMENTS demands principled investigation to establish command responsibility. It also demands that Govt review the unsustainable and unjust ‘development’ model fuelled by land mafias and casino interests in Goa .

National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) unequivocally condemns the heinous assault on adivasi youth leader, Rama Kankonkar on 18^th September, the subsequent intimidation against another activist Swapnesh Sherlekar, and the alarming descent into lawlessness that these incidents in Goa exemplify. We extend unwavering solidarity to Rama Kankonkar, Swapnesh Sherlekar and the people of Goa who continue to fight for justice, environmental protection, and the preservation of their collective identity. We also demand adequate protection to these activists, principled investigation to establish command responsibility and a review of the current unsustainable, unjust and unsafe ‘development’ model; fuelled by land mafias and casino interests.

The attack on Rama Kankonkar by six people – carried out near the Children’s Park in Caranzalem, Goa, under the jurisdiction of the surveilling Smart City – was not only physically brutal but symbolically degrading. The assailants, armed with weapons, attacked Rama Kankonkar, smeared his face with cow dung and videographed the assault, sending a chilling message: that struggles for justice and dissent will be met with public humiliation and brute violence. While Rama Kankonkar has faced attacks before, this assault—brazen and in broad daylight—marks a dangerous escalation.

This was not an isolated act. At least three of the attackers are reported to have been previously involved in a physical assault in North Goa targeting another individual who had raised concerns over land rights. These patterns point to a deliberate strategy of intimidation, targeting those who challenge entrenched and powerful vested interests.

NAPM recognizes Rama Kankonkar’s commitment to people’s movements in Goa. He has been a vocal participant in campaigns against the CAA-NPR-NRC, the double-tracking of railways, and the rampant appropriation of land for mega corporate projects that threaten the environment and displace communities. His confrontational stance against political authority stems from a principled engagement with these issues. As a proud member of Goa’s Scheduled Tribe communities, Rama Kankonkar has also been at the forefront of the struggle for legislative reservation and adivasi rights.

NAPM also acknowledges the critical work of Swapnesh Sherlekar and his team in exposing malplanning and misgovernance. Their research interrogates whose interests are being served in Goa’s development model, and highlights the devastating impact of unchecked government clearances on the state’s rivers, sea, hills, and fields. Swapnesh Sherlekar has consistently advocated for meaningful public participation in planning processes.

Over the past ten days in particular, civil society in Goa, joined by political voices across the spectrum, has expressed outrage and declared that enough is enough. Public meetings, candlelight vigils, and protests have been organized throughout the state, demanding accountability and the arrest of those who masterminded the attack. As on date, eight of the accused have been arrested and remanded to judicial custody. However, Rama Kankonkar and activists in Goa also insist that those with actual political clout (allegedly affiliated to the ruling BJP in the state) who have orchestrated the attack, are yet to be arrested.

These mobilizations are not only in solidarity with Rama Kankonkar but also in defense of the very struggles he champions—against destructive mega projects and for land, environmental, and identity rights, that impact marginalized and adivasi communities the most. Hence in the meanwhile activists are continuing the work that Rama Kankonkar would have been involved in, had he not been hospitalized. Their resistance is both tribute and continuation.

NAPM endorses the growing consensus within Goa’s civil society that the current development model, fuelled by land, mining mafias and casino interests is unsustainable, unjust and unsafe. The laws and policies that enable such predatory development must be repealed and radically reimagined.

We stand in unwavering solidarity with Rama Kankonkar, Swapnesh Sherlekar and the people of Goa who continue to fight for justice, environmental protection, and the preservation of their collective identity. 

We demand a thorough and principled investigation that brings to light and legal accountability, not only the actions of the physical perpetrators, but also establishes command responsibility of the key planners of the attack. 

We call upon the Govt to pursue the case to finality, including under the SC & ST (PoA) Act, 1989; ensure protection to the activists and extend full medical care and exemplary compensation to Rama Kankonkar. 

National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM)

E-mail: napmindia@gmail.com