Protest against ex-Goa RSS chief over his remarks on St Francis Xavier

Panaji: The Goa church authorities have called for peace and restraint in the coastal state amid protests against former Goa RSS chief Subhash Velingkar for his comments on St Francis Xavier.

Police cane-charged a group of protesters and detained five of them in Margao city of South Goa late Saturday night after they blocked a national highway demanding Velingkar's arrest, an official earlier said.

Protesters have appealed to like-minded people to gather in Margao as well as in Old Goa in North Goa district for an agitation on Sunday.

The sacred relics of St Francis Xavier, the patron saint of Goa, are kept at the Basilica Dom Jesus in Old Goa.

In a statement issued on Saturday evening, the Council for Social Justice and Peace (CSJP) executive secretary Fr Savio Fernandes said the Goan Catholic Community condemns Velingkar's "insulting and derogatory" statements.

The CSJP, which is a wing of the Goa Church, has urged the protesters to exercise restraint for the sake of peace and communal harmony.

"Velingkar's statements deeply hurt the religious sentiments not only of Catholics but also of so many people belonging to other faith communities who also revere the saint for having received numerous favours in their lives after praying to him," it said in the statement.

The CSJP has appealed to the government authorities concerned to take necessary strict action as per the prevalent law against Velingkar for "trying to disrupt the communal harmony in Goa by deliberately and mischievously putting one community against the other".

Fr Fernandes said there are burning issues threatening the environment, the demography and future of Goa which demand the immediate attention of authorities and which the people of Goa have been unanimously raising these days.

"We appeal to the citizens not to distract their attention from the major issues plaguing our state," he added.

More than a dozen cases have been filed against Velingkar for allegedly "hurting religious sentiments" through his media statements against St Francis Xavier.

The Bicholim police in North Goa on Friday registered an FIR against Velingkar in the matter.

Leaders from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congress and a few others have lodged police complaints against Velingkar and they were part of the agitation on Saturday.

Velingkar moved for anticipatory bail before a local court on Saturday.

The additional district and sessions court in Panaji refused to grant him interim relief from arrest, while posting the matter on Monday.