PANJIM: The political aftershocks of the controversy surrounding remarks attributed to Gautam Khattar deepened on Sunday, as fresh counter-allegations emerged, with two opposition figures accusing the establishment of weaponising police action to deflect attention from pressing public issues.
Social worker Warren Alemao and former GPCC president Girish Chodankar appeared before the Panjim and Mapusa police stations, respectively, in separate cases accusing them of hurting religious sentiments. Both denied wrongdoing, insisting their remarks had been distorted, and framed the FIRs as part of a broader attempt to shift the narrative.
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Speaking after questioning at the Panjim Police Station over a viral video, Alemao said his remarks had been selectively edited to create controversy. “I respect Sanatan Dharma wholeheartedly. We are Goans, and we do not indulge in such things. The video in question has been edited, and only a portion of it has been made viral,” he said, rejecting allegations that he had targeted any religious community.
Positioning the case as a diversionary tactic, Alemao argued that the controversy had little to do with faith and more to do with timing. “There is a clear attempt to divert attention from real issues such as illegal construction, land filling, casinos, sand dunes and large building projects. This is a new tactic being used,” he said, linking the episode to wider concerns over governance and development.
He maintained that Goa’s social fabric has historically remained intact and warned against attempts to fracture it for political gain. “Goa has always lived as one community. We must not allow religion-based politics to disturb that harmony,” he said. He also demanded a ban on Khattar’s entry into the State, alleging that such developments were fuelling tensions. Alemao added that he would not seek anticipatory bail and confirmed he had been summoned again for questioning.
In a parallel case, Chodankar faced nearly three hours of questioning at the Mapusa Police Station over a social media post quoting an ‘aarti’. The complaint alleged that he had circulated content related to a ‘Ma Ganga Devi Aarti’ with the intent to outrage religious sentiments.
Chodankar rejected the charge, asserting that his post was aimed at highlighting environmental and governance concerns, not religion. He said the content was intended to draw attention to pollution in the Mandovi River caused by offshore casinos and to raise issues such as the Mhadei dispute, while also targeting the BJP politically.
Questioning the basis of the complaint, he argued that political symbolism had been deliberately conflated with religious sentiment to manufacture outrage, maintaining that criticism of the ruling party cannot be equated with hurting faith.
