Goa Police Book 300 Protesters Over Anti-Hindutva Slogans in Panaji
Acting on a formal complaint supported by viral social media video footage, the Goa Police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against nearly 300 unidentified demonstrators for allegedly inciting communal tensions and raising inflammatory anti-Hindutva slogans during an unauthorized street demonstration in Panaji. The controversial agitation, organized on October 11 without mandatory administrative clearances, triggered public outrage after video clips circulating online showed participants chanting provocative phrases aimed at the Hindu community. Taking swift administrative cognizance of the brewing discord, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant warned that an active high-level investigation is underway, affirming that the state government maintains zero tolerance toward deliberate provocations designed to rupture Goa's secular fabric and communal peace.
Legal Clampdown Under BNS: FIR Details and Sloganeering Controversy
Detailing the statutory action, Panaji Police Inspector Vijaykumar Chodankar confirmed that the criminal complaint was registered under Sections 196 and 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, which penalize actions that promote enmity between religious groups and deliberately outrage spiritual feelings. The formal legal intervention follows a petition filed by Ramprasad Kelkar, a resident of Taleigao in Panaji, who submitted digital video evidence to local law enforcement. According to Kelkar's complaint, participants representing the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) gathered under the pretext of staging an institutional protest against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, demanding his resignation over alleged discrepancies in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and the contentious deletion of names from national voter lists. However, the complainant noted that the demonstration quickly degenerated into aggressive sloganeering targeting Sanatana Dharma, specifically identifying chants such as "Down with Hindutva," which the complainant asserted was calculated to ignite public unrest and hurt the collective sentiments of Hindu devotees across the state.
Unauthorized March at Azad Maidan and High Court Habeas Corpus Intervention
Scrutiny surrounding the demonstration deepened after administrative records revealed that the organizers had actively bypassed official directives prohibiting the assembly. In his submission to the police, Kelkar pointed out that a female coordinator from the organization had formally approached the North Goa District Collector seeking permission to hold a gathering at Panaji's iconic Azad Maidan, but the request was explicitly rejected by the administration over public order concerns. Despite the refusal, organizers moved forward with the demonstration under the banner of a peaceful assembly. When seven protesters attempted to breach police barricades and force entry into the Azad Maidan grounds on October 11, law enforcement personnel took them into preventive custody. The detained individuals were subsequently released late that night after legal representatives moved a special urgent habeas corpus petition before the Bombay High Court at Goa. As the police review CCTV feeds and social media footage to pinpoint the identities of the 300 unnamed accused, investigators are verifying the financial and institutional backing of the rally to prevent recurring disruptions in the state capital.
