Panaji, August 30, 2026: Goa Pradesh Congress Committee Media & Communication Department Chairman Amarnath Panjikar has challenged Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant’s statement that the recent Porvorim firing was the first such incident during his eight-year tenure.
Panjikar said the statement was “factually questionable and misleading”, pointing to several shooting and firing incidents publicly reported in Goa over the years.
According to Panjikar, incidents reported since 2020 include:
2020: Santa Cruz shoot-out
2021: Fatorda/Ambaji Junction shoot-out
2023: Siolim restaurant shoot-out
2024: Bethora shoot-out
2025: Mungul/Margao–Colva Road shoot-out
2025: Pernem/Naibag firing
2026: Porvorim/Majestic Pride shoot-out
Panjikar said Congress would not rely solely on media reports and would instead seek official records from Goa Police through the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
“Eight years of law-and-order history cannot be erased with one sentence,” Panjikar said, adding that the official police record should determine the facts.
The Congress leader said the party plans to file an RTI application before the DGP Headquarters in Panaji, seeking details of firearm and shooting incidents recorded in Goa during the relevant period.
Panjikar also raised questions about the circumstances surrounding the latest Porvorim incident, particularly its reported proximity to a police station.
“An armed attack taking place virtually at the doorstep of a police station is extremely serious,” he said, questioning policing, intelligence, surveillance and the availability of illegal firearms in the state.
He also asked the Chief Minister to clarify what he meant by calling the Porvorim incident the “first” of its kind.
“Does Dr. Pramod Sawant mean that the Porvorim incident is the first firearm-related shooting or firing incident of any kind during his eight-year tenure, or does he mean that it is the first incident of a particular nature?” Panjikar asked.
The Congress leader said the party would allow official records to settle the dispute rather than engage in political claims.
“Congress is not rewriting history. We are asking the Government to account for it. Let the police records speak. Let the facts decide,” Panjikar said.
