New Delhi: The face-off between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Goa and the state’s activists that has been enduring for the last two weeks has escalated with the state police having issued a warning on September 26 to an executive member of the party for allegedly threatening an activist over phone. The police action on September 26 towards Mahanand Asnodkar, the former BJP North Goa district president, was based on a complaint filed by activist Swapnesh Sherlekar who said that he was told on phone not to speak against BJP workers and “nationalists”. In his complaint, Sherlekar said the BJP local leader used derogatory language against him, adding that he talked to him “in a very threatening tone”, said the Times of India. On September 18, another activist, Rama Kankonkar, was brutally attacked in broad daylight on the outskirts of Panaji by six unidentified miscreants for his work. As per a news report, “The attack — carried out with knives, rods and a steel cable wire — stunned onlookers as the assailants beat Kankonkar, flung him onto the road and then smeared cow dung on his face before fleeing on two-wheelers. Eyewitnesses reported that the attackers brandished weapons to deter bystanders from intervening.”The incident immediately triggered a massive outrage with the state’s opposition parties resorting to street protests, blaming the BJP government for lawlessness and ‘Jungle Raj’. Goa Forward Party, Aam Aadmi Party, and Congress, among others, joined hands to question the attack on Kankonkar. As per a report in O Herald, leader of opposition Yuri Alemao said, “We are here as Goans, not politicians. A gang is operating in North Goa — the mastermind must be investigated. This government must go, all should go home. No one is safe in Goa.” The report had said, “The attack has intensified demands for accountability, with citizens and political parties alike urging swift and strong action against the perpetrators.”Police, with the help of CCTV footage, identified the attackers and five of them were nabbed, besides three others who were held in connection with the case. Kankonkar is well-known in Goa for raising concerns about environmental issues and demanding accountability from public figures and the government. In 2017, he had unsuccessfully contested the state polls on an AAP ticket. Activist Swapnesh Sherlekar’s complaint against the BJP local leader comes at a time when the state’s activist community has been standing in solidarity with Kankonar and demanding action against those behind the murderous attack on him.