YouTuber brought to Goa on transit remand over remarks on St Francis Xavier
Arrested in Himachal’s Kullu, Gautam Khattar faces charges of hurting religious sentiments after controversial video; brother held as co-accused, leaders demand action
Gautam Khattar, a YouTuber and founder of Sanatan Mahasangh, was brought to Goa on April 26 on transit remand after being arrested in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh, in connection with the alleged inflammatory remarks he made against St Francis Xavier, the patron saint of Goa.
According to reports, a Himachal Pradesh court had on April 25 granted Goa Police a three-day transit remand, and a Crime Branch team escorted him to Goa by flight on Sunday afternoon.
The controversy erupted after a video of Khattar allegedly calling the 16th-century Spanish Jesuit missionary a "terrorist" went viral. He also allegedly made derogatory remarks about the saint's sacred remains, preserved at the Basilica of Bom Jesus Church in Old Goa.
The remarks were made at Sanatan Dharm Raksha Samiti's Parshuram Jayanti celebrations in Vasco da Gama on April 18, in the presence of Goa Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho and BJP MLAs Sankulp Amonkar and Daji Salkar.
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FIR, warrant and a lookout notice
An FIR for hurting religious sentiments and promoting enmity was initially registered at Vasco police station on April 18 and later transferred to the Crime Branch after multiple complaints poured in from Margao, Panaji, Anjuna and Old Goa. A non-bailable warrant was issued against Khattar on April 23, along with a lookout circular to prevent him from leaving the country.
Political leaders demand action
The remarks triggered condemnation across party lines. Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao called for strict action, saying divisive statements had no place in Goa's tradition of communal harmony. Even the event organiser, Sanatan Dharm Raksha Samiti, distanced itself from Khattar's remarks and issued an apology to the Christian community.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had on Thursday assured that Khattar would be arrested within two days.