Goa govt empowers collectors to order detention of persons under NSA

PANAJI: The Goa regime on th authorised its ii dominion collectors to dictate the detention of persons under the National Security Act (NSA) in the interest of the state’s security or the maintenance of public order.The Goa government also constituted an NSA advisory board comprising former Bombay high court judge, justice U V Bakre, and former district judges Sayonara Telles Laad and Vandana Tendulkar. The advisory board is mandated to review every detention order made under this law within three weeks and consider appeals filed by those detained.“The Government of Goa, having regard to the circumstances prevailing in North Goa and South Goa Districts, is satisfied that it is necessary to do so, hereby directs that during a period of three months from the date of commencement of this order, the District Magistrates of North Goa and south Goa may also exercise powers conferred by sub-section (2) of section 3, of the said Act within the local limits of their jurisdiction,” the order issued by Manthan Manoj Naik, Under Secretary (Home), said.It will mean that collectors will have the power to detain persons under the Act if they are of the view that they pose a risk to ‘the security of the state’ and to public order.The authorisation to extend the detention powers to the collectors for the next three months was passed on a request made by the Goa Police in September this year. In a letter to the home department, Goa director general of police Alok Kumar sought the powers for the collectors on the ground that existing legal provisions to detain trouble makers were “insufficient to neutralise repeat offenders and organised elements, who are likely to act in a manner prejudicial to the maintenance of public order.”“Since 1st Aug 2025 till date, many offenders have been taken into custody under preventive arrest sections and produced in front of Sub-Divisional Magistrate but these measures are proving insufficient…In these prevailing circumstances, it is felt necessary that the District Magistrate be authorised to exercise powers under Section 3(2) of the NSA for a specified period, in order to prevent activities prejudicial to the maintenance of public order,” Kumar said in the letter.The police request followed demands for strict action in the wake of an assault on activist Rama Kankonkar on September 18. Eight people have been arrested so far in this case, seven of whom are ‘history-sheeters’ or repeat offenders believed to be members of a gang involved in criminal activities.