Panaji, Jun 19 (PTI) The Director General of Police (DGP) in Goa, Aditya Arya, said that he would have ordered a police firing on the tribals who held agitations in Balli village on May 25.
The statement immediately sparked off a controversy in the state, with tribal leaders saying that the DGP's views showed how biased the government machinery was towards the tribals fighting for their rights.
Two tribal leaders were burnt to death during the agitation at Balli village, 60 kms away from here in May.
Arya, who participated in the seminar on human rights in the presence of former National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) chairman Justice J S Verma, said that if had he been at the protest site in Balli he would have ordered police to open fire to bring the mob under control.
"The leaders had lost control of the agitation.