Protesters Demand Security for Francis Xavier’s Feast
October 04, 2011: Hundreds of parishioners in India’s Old Goa are protesting against
the state’s negligence to provide adequate security for the pilgrims during the world-renowned
feast of Saint Francis Xavier at the shrine of Bom Jesus, where his body is kept. The
protesters shouted slogans on October 2 demanding the change of schedule of the International
Film Festival of India (IFFI) which is coinciding with the feast day. “Since 2004,
we have been asking the government to shift the dates of IFFI because security during
those days is diluted as a part of it is deployed there, reducing the security during
the novenas and the feast day on December 3,” said Peter Viegas, coordinator of the
Save Old Goa Action Committee (SOGAC). “The government has not only ignored our
repeated pleas but this year extended IFFI till the feast day,” he said. Earlier,
IFFI used to conclude on December 2. He said that the authorities install metal
detectors at the entry points of the Basilica compound, but there’s no security at
the large fair, making the venue a sitting duck for terrorists. He said the fair
venue is a potential ground for deaths in the event of a stampede. SOGAC Secretary
John Carvalho said, “the government is ready to squander so much money for a two-week
International Film Festival of India, that is attended by less than 10,000 delegates
but shows its carelessness for millions of people visiting Old Goa during the feast
and novenas.” Tourists flock the pilgrimage centre around the year and the government
earns money from tourism, unlike IFFI, Carvalho said. He lamented that the government
had failed to come forth with a master plan for Old Goa despite assurance by the state
government last year.