A YouTuber from Uttarakhand was arrested in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu on Friday on charges of “hurting religious sentiments” over his alleged derogatory comments about Catholic Saint Francis Xavier at an event in Goa on Sunday.
Gautam Khattar, who describes himself as a “spiritual pulse” journalist who creates content related to “Baba Sadhus, Sanatan Dharma, foreign devotees and religious places”, has been on the run for a week. The Crime Branch also issued a circular against him.
“Based on inputs from Goa Police, Himachal Pradesh Police arrested the main accused, Gautam Khattar, in Kullu district this evening. A team from the Crime Branch will soon take custody of the accused and he will be brought to Goa,” Superintendent of Police (Crime) Rahul Gupta said.
Gautam was detained by Goa police after he called the saint a “terrorist” at the Parshuram Jayanti celebrations of Vasco da Gama’s Sanatan Dharm Raksha Samiti in Goa. He is also alleged to have made derogatory remarks about the saint’s relics in a coffin revered as holy relics.
On Wednesday, Goa Police arrested Gautam’s brother Madhav as a co-accused in the case after investigation revealed that he had drafted the letter, which was later shared on social media.
“Madhav Khattar accompanied Gautam to the event in Vasco, and it was also recorded that a video of an insulting statement against St. Francis
