Goa Chief Minister Pushes for Arrest of YouTuber Over Derogatory Comments
In a firm statement on Wednesday, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant declared that the state police are intensively working to locate and apprehend YouTuber Gautam Khattar. This action follows the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against Khattar in Goa for making derogatory remarks about St Francis Xavier, a revered saint in the region.
High-Level Monitoring of Investigation
Sawant, who also oversees the home portfolio, emphasized his personal involvement in the probe. "We are very serious about this issue," he stated. "Our police team has already been dispatched to Dehradun. I have instructed the police to act strictly against him as per the law. I am personally monitoring the investigations, and the Director General of Police is also overseeing it." He highlighted that the process has been fast-tracked, with a dedicated team actively searching for Khattar, though his exact location remains unknown. "As soon as he is traced, he will be immediately placed under arrest," Sawant assured.
Social Media Response and Community Condemnation
In response to the controversy, Instagram has disabled Gautam Khattar's profile, reflecting the platform's stance against inflammatory content. Concurrently, the Association of All Goa Muslim Jamats issued a strong statement condemning Khattar's remarks. Association president Shaikh Bashir Ahmed expressed that "St Francis Xavier is a revered saint and is an integral part of Goa's spiritual, cultural, and historical heritage." He added that such statements deeply hurt the religious sentiments of millions in Goa and worldwide who hold the saint in high esteem.
The association also called for action against the organizers of the event where Khattar made the divisive statements, accusing them of providing a platform for such remarks. They stressed the need for prompt measures to "reinforce public confidence and preserve the peace and unity of our state." This incident underscores ongoing concerns about hate speech and its impact on communal harmony in Goa.
