Why Gautam Khattar’s Brother Held Over St. Xavier Remark; Sanatan Sanstha Objects.

Goa Police Arrest Pro-Hindutva YouTuber Gautam Khattar’s Brother Madhav Over Alleged Role in Controversial Speech on Saint Xavier, Sanatan Santha Condemns.

Upananda Brahmachari | HENB | Panaji |  April 24, 2026:: The Goa Police on Wednesday arrested Madhav Khattar, the brother of Uttarakhand-based YouTuber Gautam Khattar, in connection with a case involving alleged derogatory remarks about the Catholic saint Francis Xavier. During a search operation in Uttarakhand, Madhav was arrested by the Goa Police after Gautam was not found at his residence.

According to police officials, Madhav Khattar has been named as a co-accused on the grounds that he allegedly assisted in drafting the speech delivered by Gautam Khattar during an event held on April 18 in Vasco da Gama, Goa. The speech, which was later circulated on social media, has been accused of hurting religious sentiments.

“The crime branch has issued an LOC (Look-Out Circular) against main accused Gautam Khattar 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,” the police official said.

Gautam Khattar, who describes himself as a “spiritual beat” journalist focusing on religious subjects such as sadhus, Sanatan Dharma, and pilgrimage sites, is currently absconding, according to police sources.

During the event—organized as part of Parashuram Jayanti celebrations by the Sanatan Dharma Raksha Samiti—Khattar allegedly referred to Saint Francis Xavier in derogatory terms ‘terrorist’ and made controversial remarks regarding the saint’s preserved remains, which are venerated by many Catholics. Following the incident, the organizing body publicly distanced itself from the remarks and issued an apology.

The arrest has drawn criticism from Sanatan Sanstha, a Hindutva-leaning righteous organization. Its national spokesperson, Abhay Vartak, alleged that the police action was unwarranted and politically motivated. In a video statement, Vartak questioned the basis of implicating Madhav Khattar, asserting that Gautam Khattar is an experienced speaker who does not rely on prepared scripts. He further claimed that the arrest was intended to appease sections of the Christian community, an allegation not substantiated by official sources.

Vartak also urged the governments of Goa and Uttarakhand, both led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), to intervene in what he described as an unjustified arrest.

The case has also revived broader historical and cultural debates surrounding the legacy of the Goa Inquisition (1560–1812), a period during Portuguese colonial rule often discussed in academic and public discourse for its complex and contested historical interpretations. While some commentators highlight accounts of brtual religious persecution og Hindus and Jews during this era, historians differ in their assessments of its scale, nature, and impact.

Saint Francis Xavier, a 16th-century missionary and a prominent figure in the spread of Christianity in Asia, has also been a subject of historical scrutiny. Some historical records indicate that he advocated for the establishment of the Inquisition in Goa, although he did not live to witness its formal institutionalization.

The Goa Inquisition and the role of Christian missionaries in it is a highly debatable matter still looming in contemporary history. Now, the dark history of the Goa Hindu Genocide between 1560 and 1812 has been revealed. The “Haath Katro Khamb” in Goa is historically significant as it relates to the Goa Inquisition, a period of religious persecution by the Portuguese from 1560 to 1812, where non-converting Hindus were subject to severe punishments including the amputation of hands at this Khamb and left to die. Rough estimates suggest up to 80,000 Hindus were killed in such a heinous way. This history reached the level of horrific amputation of breasts of female Hindus, as documented by many historians as of now.St. Francis Xavier was a key figure in the spread of Christianity in Goa and was involved in the establishment of the Inquisition in Goa. The Goa Inquisition has been described as “The Epitome of Christian Missionary Violence” inspired by Saint Francis Xavier.

Hindutva thinker and historian Sita Ram Goel described Francis Xavier & Robert de Nobili as “Pirates in Priests’ Clothing”. According to records, “In May 1545 and again in 1546, Xavier begged King John III of Portugal to unleash the Inquisition on Goa, railing against Hindu ‘idolatry’ and the ‘Judaizing’ of New Christians. His pleas were granted. Xavier was not physically present when the Inquisition formally began its work in 1560, three years after his death, but the tribunal was set up at his repeated and vehement insistence. The Holy Office in Goa became notorious as the most fanatical and sadistic of all colonial Inquisitions, lasting nearly two centuries and claiming thousands of victims—predominantly Hindus who refused to abandon their ancestral faith and Jews (both New Christians and those who secretly maintained Jewish practices).”

After 451 long years of tyrannical rule by the barbaric Portuguese, they were overthrown and Goa was liberated on December 19, 1961, which is now honored as Goa Liberation Day.

Fierce Hindutva leader Gautam Khattar wanted to expose all these in his speech at the Sanatan Dharm Raksha Samiti’s Parshuram Jayanti celebrations in Goa’s Vasco da Gama. But, Goa Police is now acting under the pressure of Catholic institutions, hand in hand with the so-called Hindutvawadi BJP Government in the state.

The investigation into the case is ongoing, and authorities have not released further details regarding additional charges or arrests.
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