Russian consul protests Goa MP’s rape remarks, rising crimes

PANAJI/NEW DELHI - The Russian consul general in Mumbai has protested to the Goa government over a Goan MPs insensitive remarks about the alleged rape of a Russian woman and voiced concern over rising crimes against Russian citizens in the state.

An official of the Russian embassy in New Delhi declined to speak about the contents of the letter, saying it can’t do so as the matter is under investigation.

The consulate said that if the Goa government believes that the rape was justified since the woman was out of her hotel at 2 a.m., it would warn Russian nationals visiting the state, said sources.

A 25-year-old Russian was allegedly raped by a Goan politician John Fernandes, in the wee hours of Dec 2.

Congress MP from Goa Shantaram Naik Tuesday attracted the ire of women members in the Rajya Sabha for saying that a rape case should be treated differently if the victim is known to be moving with strangers beyond the middle of the night.

Naik blamed the media for highlighting the controversial case of a Russian woman working in Goa who has claimed she was raped earlier this month by a state politician in his car after having dinner with him.

“An alleged rape of a lady who moves with strangers for days together, even beyond middle of the night, is to be treated on a different footing, he had said. His remarks antagonised women members who sought the intervention of Deputy Speaker K. Rahman Khan, saying Naik should not be allowed to speak the language which was derogatory to women.

In another letter to Chief Minister Digambar Kamat dated Dec 14, Russian consul general Alexander Mantytsky said: “The incidents where Russian citizens are victim of crime in Goa have caused a great public concern in our country. Because of poor security situation in Goa, foreign tourists might become victims of crime.”

“We are deeply concerned about the criminal situation in Goa. As you know, the number of Russian tourists coming to your state (Goa) is steadily growing. At the same time, there is an increase in crimes against women,” the letter, which was received by the chief minister’s office Tuesday, said.

Referring to the alleged rape of a Russian woman and the harassment faced by the victim from police, Mantytsky said: “We would be happy to inform our citizens not to remain outside after 10 p.m., if you suppose that it would assist in their security.”

Expressing astonishment over the investigation into the rape case, the consul general further said: “Even many days after the incident, the accused was not subjected to medical examination to ascertain injuries on his body. The vehicle used by John to commit the offence was not examined. The clothes he was wearing on the day of offence were not preserved for chemical analysis. During this time, all possibility to gather evidence was destroyed.”

Goan politicians, including Chief Minister Kamat, Public Works Department Minister Churchill Alemao as well as Naik, have gone on record blaming the rape victims for travelling late in the night which they claim was the main reason why the crime was committed.