Remarks against St Xavier Protest held in Goa seeking arrest of right-wing activist
Panaji: More than 100 people staged a demonstration in Vasco town of South Goa on Thursday, April 23, demanding the immediate arrest of right-wing speaker Gautam Khattar over his alleged derogatory remarks against St Francis Xavier.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said efforts were on to trace Khattar and prevent him from fleeing the country.
The Goa Crime Branch has issued a Look Out Circular (LOC) against him and alerted the Bureau of Immigration to prevent him from leaving the country. Police teams are camping in different cities across the country to trace him, as per officials.
Gautam Khattar, the founder of Sanatan Mahasangh, kicked up a row with his remarks at an event on April 18 in the presence of Swami Brahmeshanand, State Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs Sankulp Amonkar and Daji (Krishna) Salkar.
A viral video of his remarks against Goa’s patron saint sparked protests in various parts of the coastal state, drawing widespread condemnation from political leaders, the Goa Church, and others.
On Thursday, nearly 150 people gathered at Tilak Maidan in Vasco town, raising slogans and demanding action not only against Gautam Khattar, but also against the organisers of the event where the controversial remarks were made.
The protestors, who included former state revenue minister Jose Philip D’Souza and other local leaders, alleged that the organiser – Sanatan Dharma Raksha Samiti – was aware of Khattar’s background.
They claimed that several videos available online show the right-wing speaker making derogatory statements against St Francis Xavier, the patron saint of Goa, and asked why he was invited to speak.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Gurudas Kadam told the protesters that Madhav Khattar has been arrested as he had accompanied his brother to Goa.
“He was involved in drafting the speeches and uploading them on social media,” Kadam said, adding that further investigation was underway.
CM Sawant told reporters in Margao that efforts are on to trace and arrest Gautam Khattar.
“All necessary steps are being taken, including issuing a red alert notice, to ensure that the accused does not leave the country,” he said.
The Vasco police have registered an FIR against Gautam Khattar for allegedly hurting religious sentiments and trying to create communal discord through his speech against St Francis Xavier, whose relics are preserved at the Basilica of Bom Jesus Church, Old Goa.
Police have arrested his brother, Madhav Khattar, from Haridwar in Uttarakhand and named him as a co-accused after it was found that he had prepared the speech delivered by the right-wing speaker at the event held on April 18.
On Tuesday, the police visited Gautam Khattar’s residence in Dehradun, but he was not found there. The police issued a summons to him, asking him to appear before the investigation officer, but he has not responded, a senior official earlier said.
This post was last modified on April 23, 2026 4:03 pm