Right-wing speaker held for remarks on St Xavier brought to Goa from Himachal Pradesh

Panaji, Apr 26 (PTI) Right-wing speaker Gautam Khattar was brought to Goa on Sunday on a transit remand after his arrest in Himachal Pradesh in a case related to his alleged offensive remarks against St Francis Xavier, the patron saint of the coastal state, officials said.

Khattar, the founder of an outfit called Sanatan Mahasangh, was arrested in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh on Friday, ending days of search in connection with the case registered against him earlier this week.

A crime branch team arrived at Manohar International Airport with the accused on Sunday afternoon.

He will be produced before a local court, which will decide on his custody, while further investigation into the case is underway, police said.

The Goa police have been searching for Khattar since last week, when an FIR for ‘hurting religious sentiments’ was registered against him in Panaji.

A row erupted after a video of Khattar making “objectionable” statements against St Xavier, whose Holy Relics are preserved at the Basilica of Bom Jesus Church, Old Goa, went viral.

He had made the remarks while addressing an event on April 18 in the presence of religious guru Swami Brahmeshanand, Goa Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho and BJP MLAs Sankulp Amonkar and Daji (Krishna) Salkar.

Complaints were subsequently filed by various groups, following which the Goa Police registered an FIR on April 21 under charges related to promoting enmity and hurting religious sentiments.

An FIR was registered against Khattar at Vasco police station in South Goa. The case was, however, transferred to the Crime Branch after multiple complaints were lodged at police stations in Margao, Panaji, Vasco, Anjuna, and Old Goa.

The crime branch had earlier arrested his brother, Madhav, from Uttarakhand in connection with the same case. PTI RPS ARU

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