Tirunelveli, July 24 (PTI): A Catholic priest has been arrested in Kanyakumari district for his alleged disparaging remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and 'Bharat Mata.'

Father George Ponnaiah reportedly made the remarks at a meeting at Arumanai town recently.

A video of his speech went viral on social media, following which leaders of various Hindu outfits and BJP lodged a complaint against him and he was arrested.

He was booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Epidemic Diseases Act, police said.

Meanwhile, scores of BJP workers, led by party's state treasurer S R Sekar, staged a demonstration in Coimbatore, demanding that the priest be detained under the Goondas Act for his remarks.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)