Daijiworld Media Network – Panaji

Panaji, Oct 15: Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) working president Sunil Kawthankar has condemned the alleged anti-Hindu slogans raised during a protest at Azad Maidan in Panaji against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. He has demanded a thorough investigation by the Director General of Police (DGP) to identify those responsible.

Addressing the media on Thursday, Kawthankar said the Congress had seen videos purportedly showing individuals raising slogans against Hindutva during the demonstration. He clarified that the protest was organised to oppose the SIR exercise and raise concerns over electoral integrity, and was not intended to hurt religious sentiments.

“We condemn this in the strongest possible terms. The protest was organised against the SIR issue, against Gyanesh Kumar's actions, and against compromising Indian democracy and elections. It was never intended to hurt anyone's religious sentiments in Goa,” he said.

Drawing a parallel with the controversy surrounding Gautam Khattar's alleged offensive remarks about St Francis Xavier, Kawthankar said the same standards of accountability should apply in both cases.

“When it comes to maintaining communal harmony, Goa must enforce a zero-tolerance policy, whether it concerns Muslims, Christians or Hindus,” he said.

The Congress leader alleged that communal controversies tend to emerge when the BJP faces political pressure. He cited developments such as the Goa Rakhan Yatra and election-related controversies, and claimed that the timing of the alleged slogans could be politically motivated to divert attention from corruption allegations against the state government.

Kawthankar urged the authorities to identify those responsible for allegedly attempting to inflame communal tensions and investigate whether the incident was politically sponsored. He stressed the need to maintain communal harmony while ensuring accountability for those involved.