Daijiworld Media Network – Panaji
Panaji, Apr 24: Right-wing speaker Gautam Khattar was arrested on Friday, April 24, in Himachal Pradesh for making offensive and derogatory remarks against St Francis Xavier.
According to a police statement, the Himachal Pradesh police detained the accused in Kullu district following a lookout circular (LOC) issued against him. "A team from the Crime Branch will soon take over the custody of the accused and he will be brought to Goa," the authorities stated.
Earlier, his brother Madhav Khattar was arrested in Haridwar, Uttarakhand. He was named a co-accused after investigations revealed that he had prepared the speech delivered by his brother at an event held on Saturday, April 18.
Gautam Khattar, the founder of Sanatan Mahasangh, sparked a massive controversy with his remarks at an event attended by Swami Brahmeshanand, state transport minister Mauvin Godinho, and BJP MLAs Sankulp Amonkar and Daji Salkar. During the speech, he referred to the 16th-century Catholic missionary as a "terrorist and a cruel ruler."
He further claimed that the saint's body and bones had been destroyed by worms and alleged that his only objective was religious conversion. He also questioned why lakhs of people continue to offer prayers at the saint’s festival.
A viral video of these remarks against the patron saint of Goa triggered widespread protests across the coastal state, drawing condemnation from political leaders and the Goa Church.
The Vasco police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Khattar for allegedly hurting religious sentiments and attempting to create communal discord. St Francis Xavier's relics are preserved at the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa.