Goa Police Shut Down Music At Narakasur Events After HC Order

Panaji: Police shut down music systems at Narakasur effigy display competition venues across Goa at midnight, in compliance with a Bombay High Court order restricting the use of loudspeakers and sound amplifiers during the events, officials said on Sunday.

The pre-dawn ritual of burning effigies of the demon Narakasur marks the beginning of Diwali, the festival of lights, in the coastal state. Held on Narak Chaturdashi, the ritual depicts the battle between Lord Krishna and Narakasur, symbolising the triumph of good over evil.

The effigies are first displayed at competitions, after which participants carry them to their villages or localities and burn them. Several police teams were deployed across the state's three districts - North Goa, South Goa and Kushavati - to ensure strict compliance with the HC's directions, Deputy Superintendent of Police Vishwesh Karpe told PTI.

"At several places, sound systems and DJ equipment were confiscated by police teams. There was resistance at many places, but police did their duty of implementing the High Court order," he said. At many other places, the organisers voluntarily stopped music at midnight in line with the HC order, he added.

The HC's Goa bench on Saturday directed the state government authorities to strictly implement noise pollution rules and enforce restrictions on loudspeakers and sound amplifiers during Narakasura effigy-burning celebrations from midnight on November 7 until 6 am on November 8.

The court also directed the authorities to immediately report the names of those violating the restrictions during the specified period. Justice Amit S Jamsandekar directed the Superintendents of Police of North Goa and South Goa and the respective district collectors to ensure implementation of the statement made by the Advocate General before the court.

The court was hearing a writ petition filed by Jose Carlos Lobo and other citizens, who had raised concerns over noise pollution during the celebrations. The petitioners pointed out that despite complaints lodged during the previous festive season, the authorities had failed to initiate action against violators.

Meanwhile, Goa Forward Party president Vijai Sardesai accused the BJP-led state government of failing to defend, before the HC, the tradition of playing music during Narakasur effigy burning rituals. Addressing a gathering at the Shri Krishna Vijayotsav celebration he organised at Fatorda in South Goa, Sardesai claimed the Advocate General had failed to defend the case effectively.

"The BJP believed people equate its rule with that of Narakasur and was therefore objecting to the tradition," he charged. (This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)