Tejpal, mining issue kept Goa in news in 2013

As 2013 drew to a close, Goa witnessed one of the most unexpected cases which took away the media attention in the state from the issue of ban on the mining that affected the state's earnings badly.
Tarun Tejpal, founder editor of Tehelka magazine, was in the headlines for wrong reasons after he was accused of sexually assaulting a woman colleague, in a five-star hotel in the state. The news scene in the state was dominated by Tejpal, who was arrested and spend uneasy nights in dingy police lock up before being lodged in Sada sub-jail.
The media attention around this crucial case continues even as the state prepares to ring in the New Year.

Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar was accused of working overtime to get the police prepare a watertight case against Tejpal, allegations which was flatly denied by the Chief Minister, repeatedly.
The year also saw BJP holding a two-day meeting of its National Executive here in June where it anointed Narendra Modi as its Election Campaign Committee Chairman for the 2014 polls.
Senior party leader L K Advani kept away from the meeting citing ill health as did some other leaders, including Jaswant Singh, Uma Bharati and Shatrughan Sinha.

Little before the Tejpal episode, Goa saw a group of around 200 Nigerians taking the law and order in the coastal state to ransom. Protesting against the murder of a fellow countryman, they blocked the national highway. Police had to arrest 52 of them which followed assurance by the Chief Minister to deport the rogue foreigners.

But later, Parrikar was reported to have announced that deportation cannot take place as "many of the rogue foreigners don't possess valid documents which makes it difficult for the state government to decide which country they actually belonged to".
During the year, the state inherited the old issue concerning the ban on mining by the Supreme Court due to the allegations of illegal mining in the state.