Polina Gerchikova (39), a Russian national, has been travelling solo to Goa for the past three years. Every time she is on the beach, she is confronted by a strange request. “Men just come up to me and request a photo or a selfie…as if I am a prop.”
“Some try to strike up a conversation and stare. I remember an instance when a man accosted me and sat next to me, though the beach was empty. I told him to go away, but he kept stalking me. When I started recording a video on my phone and pretended to call someone, he covered his face and ran away,” she said.
Recently, as the tourist season begins, two other incidents of harassment in Goa’s coastal belt have sparked concerns about the safety of women at beaches, especially among solo travellers. A video, purportedly showing a group of men harassing and groping two foreign women while clicking photographs with them at Arambol beach, went viral on social media last week. In another video on Instagram, a 19-year-old woman shared the harrowing ordeal of harassment she faced at a beach in North Goa a fortnight ago.
‘Every step I took…’
The teenager, who is studying journalism in Mumbai and aspires to be a disc jockey, told The Indian Express that she was visiting for a vacation and to learn more about DJ culture, but is now traumatised and regrets coming to Goa.
“I went to Baga beach because it is popular and I had never been there,” she said.
“As I was walking in the lane leading to the beach, the waiters at the restaurant accosted me, offering free drinks or food. I ignored them. At the entry gate of the beach, a middle-aged man approached and said, ‘I will pay whatever you want.’ I felt embarrassed and hurled abuses at him to shoo him away. He then asked me if I was Indian or a foreigner. At the beach, some young men asked how much I would charge for the night,” she said.
The teenager said she started recording a video on her phone and called her cab driver as she feared for her safety. “Every step I took, someone was either asking for my ‘rate’, or trying to initiate a conversation or offering me free drinks and food or stalking me. I felt unsafe and anxious and wanted to hit those men. My phone had low battery, but the cab driver was my saviour. He picked me up from the beach and dropped me to the hotel,” she said.
Authorities take cognizance
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Police said they have taken cognizance of both the incidents. In the Arambol incident, an FIR has been registered against unidentified accused persons under section 74 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 126 (2) (wrongful restraint) of BNS.
According to the FIR, the Arambol incident took place on November 3, when the accused wrongfully restrained and harassed two foreign nationals who were walking on the beach.
In the second incident at Baga, police said the social media monitoring cell has contacted the woman to inquire about the specific details of the incident and further investigation is ongoing.
Police said that as part of their efforts to safeguard tourists, the Calangute police station has launched a drive against touts and illegal agents, and two accused were booked and 13 touts and illegal agents were apprehended on Sunday. “Our goal is to ensure every tourist leaves Calangute with fond memories, free from the nuisance of illegal activities,” police said in a statement.
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The Tourism Department also said it has taken cognizance of the incidents.
Kedar Naik, Goa government’s Director of Tourism, said, “The safety and security of tourists is of prime importance to us. We will ensure that proper action is taken. We will ensure that tourist police patrolling is ramped up on the beaches, especially during the season from November to March.”
A government official, requesting anonymity, said that a negative perception is being created on social media about the coastal state’s image due to just a few incidents. “This does not reflect the reality of the state,” the official said.
