Drishti Marine Beach Marshals, Lifesavers Tackle Harassment of Women Tourists, Medical and Safety Incidents Across Goa Coast Last Week
Panaji, February 2026 – Drishti Marine Beach Marshals and lifesavers responded to multiple incidents across Goa’s beaches over the last week and the weekend, including four cases of harassment involving women tourists, attending to three medical emergencies and providing assistance in one lost-and-found case. Timely intervention in each instance ensured safety and, where required, police action.
The follow-up procedure of two harassment incidents at Baga beach was captured on the body camera outfitted to a Drishti Marine Beach Marshal’s official gear, marking some of the early instances where both the scene of the incident and the victim’s account have been captured live on video.Currently, around 70 Beach Marshals are posted on five popular beaches in Goa, namely Baga, Calangute, Candolim, Colva and Benaulim, as part of the state’s beach safety and prevention-of-illegalities framework.
Baga Beach: Two separate harassment incidents involving foreign women tourists were reported all through last week. In the first case, at around 3:45 pm on February 5, two male tourists from Telangana, who appeared to be under the influence of alcohol, harassed a foreign woman near the shoreline after she refused to take a selfie, with one attempting to put his arm around her and kiss her. Lifesavers intervened promptly and alerted Beach Marshal Laxmi Kholkar, who arrived with a police constable. The woman was escorted to the lifesaver tower and the two tourists were taken to the police station. A second complaint involving harassment of Russian female tourists was reported at Baga. Beach Marshal Kholkar and Lifesaver Ankur intervened and informed the police. As the victims declined to file a formal complaint, the domestic tourists involved were issued a stern warning and allowed to leave.
Calangute Beach: At around 7:40 pm, a 23-year-old male tourist from Karnataka experienced fainting symptoms. Lifesavers Amir and Sandesh responded promptly, placed him in a recovery position and administered first aid, remaining with him until his condition improved. At the same beach, a 40-year-old tourist from Chandigarh slipped while heading to a restroom and sustained a bleeding head injury. Drishti Marine lifesavers Suraj Sawant and Amit Gaonkar rushed to his aid, administered first aid and subsequently transferred him to the Candolim Primary Health Centre for further medical attention.
Colva Beach: On Friday evening at around 9 pm, a group of seven to eight tourists from Karnataka were found filming and photographing Russian women without their consent. One woman was seated near the shore while another was entering the water. Lifesavers intervened immediately, informed the on-duty Captain and handed the men over to the Goa Police for further action.
Benaulim Beach: At 7:57 pm, lifesavers were approached by family members of a missing 65-year-old male tourist from Carona village. The team initiated announcements and coordinated with nearby towers. The individual was located at Varca Beach and, after police verification, was safely reunited with his family.
Agonda Beach: During a routine evening patrol, lifesaver Parshuram Pagi found a lost mobile phone. He made public announcements to locate the owner and, after confirmation from the Goa Police, returned the phone to its rightful owner. Along the same beach, a 57-year-old Russian female tourist sustained leg injuries while walking through a rocky area in the evening. Lifesaver Parshuram Pagi administered first aid and advised her to consult a doctor for further treatment.
Patnem Beach: On Sunday evening, lifesavers noticed a group of five tourists from Bihar harassing and filming a couple from Pune without their consent. The lifesavers intervened, escorted the couple to safety at a nearby tower and contacted the Goa Police, who arrived within 15 minutes. The errant tourists were detained and handed over to the police for further action.
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