Panaji: Goa BJP MLA Michael Lobo on Monday called for stronger legislative measures to punish individuals who hurt religious sentiments. Lobo emphasized the necessity of amendments to enforce stricter penalties, including mandatory detention without bail for 15 days to one month for offenders.
“There is a need for robust legislation to ensure those accused of hurting religious sentiments are jailed immediately without bail. This will send a clear message that such actions are unacceptable,” said Lobo, a former Minister.
He pledged to address this issue in the upcoming Monsoon Assembly session, highlighting the increasing frequency of such incidents. Lobo warned that failure to act could lead to social discord, urging Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to consider necessary amendments.
Chief Minister Sawant recently stated that irresponsible statements against any religion, which incite tension, would not be tolerated and would be met with legal action. His comments followed complaints from devotees at two temples against social worker Shreya Dhargalkar for allegedly making disrespectful remarks about goddesses.
Sawant confirmed that, following police instructions, Dhargalkar was booked in both cases and placed in judicial custody until June 4. “I condemn such irresponsible statements against gods. The action taken against Shreya Dhargalkar serves as a warning that misuse of social media to incite tension will result in legal consequences,” he said.
Chief Minister Sawant reiterated that the state would continue to take legal action against any acts of religious offense. “Statements against any religion will not be tolerated,” he asserted.
Goa has experienced multiple incidents where individuals have attempted to offend religious sentiments across various faiths, prompting calls for more stringent measures to prevent such offenses.
