Politically a quiet year for Goa, crime scene grim

Known for its frequent political turmoils, Goa was relatively quiet in 2009 with no major rumblings heard within the ruling coalition but rapes and murders kept the state’s crime scene grim as ever while the tourist traffic hit an all-time low.

From the unearthing of a serial killer Mahanand Naik, to serial murders by a gang of highway robbers to the recent rape of a Russian girl, every month had its share of crime in the state where law and order remained dismal.

Barring occasional public outbursts from allies, including the NCP and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, the Congress which heads the ruling alliance in the state did not have much to worry during the year as Digambar Kamat looked firm in the saddle with no perceptible threat to his government.