Daijiworld Media Network - Vasco
Vasco, Apr 27: YouTuber and self-styled spiritual speaker Gautam Khattar was on Sunday remanded to six days of police custody by a Vasco court after being brought to Goa on transit remand from Himachal Pradesh, where he was arrested.
Khattar was taken into custody in Kullu district after local police traced him based on inputs from the Goa Crime Branch in connection with alleged offensive remarks about St Francis Xavier. A special team of the Crime Branch escorted him to the state via Manohar International Airport on Sunday afternoon.
Heavy police deployment was witnessed in and around the Crime Branch office amid apprehensions of public unrest, as locals demanding his arrest gathered nearby. Khattar was later taken to Goa Medical College and Hospital for a routine medical examination.
Speaking briefly to the media, Khattar said “Jai Shri Ram” and appeared calm throughout. He was subsequently produced before the Vasco Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC), which remanded him to six days’ police custody.
Khattar had been detained by Himachal Pradesh Police in Kullu on April 24 and later handed over to Goa Crime Branch officials, who secured his transit remand before bringing him to Goa.
The controversy stems from remarks allegedly made by him during a Sanatan Dharm Raksha Samiti event held on April 18 in Vasco on the occasion of Parshuram Jayanti. He is accused of referring to St Francis Xavier as a “terrorist” and making derogatory comments about the saint’s sacred relics.
The remarks triggered widespread outrage across Goa, with protests reported from several parts of the state. Citizens lodged complaints at multiple police stations demanding his immediate arrest and a public apology. In view of the situation, the case was handed over to the Crime Branch, with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Director General of Police Alok Kumar monitoring developments.
Following the registration of an FIR, Khattar allegedly went into hiding, prompting a search operation by Vasco police and the Crime Branch before he was traced to Kullu.
Earlier, his brother Madhav Khattar was arrested and remanded to four days’ police custody by a Vasco court. Police said he played a key role in preparing Gautam’s speech and managing his professional engagements.