The pastor had made the contentious remarks during a meeting on July 18 at Arumanai. George Ponnaya, a Christian clergyman and adviser to the Democratic Christian Council, was booked at Arumana police station under seven sections, including illegal additions, inciting animosity between caste, religion and both parties, disturbing public peace and spreading slander on religious beliefs. During the meeting with his followers, Ponnaiah condemned the closure of churches and the ban on conducting prayer meetings amidst the Coronavirus lockdown. He paid tribute to late Maoist sympathizer Stan Swamy and also criticized the move to deny permits to build new churches on patta land. Fr Ponnaiah also insulted Bharat Mata by claiming that she is dirty and can cause scabies. During his public address, he mocked MR Gandhi for not wearing footwear out of respect for Mother Earth (Bhumadevi/Bharat Mata). “But we wear shoes. Why? Because the impurities of Bharat Mata should not contaminate us. The Tamil Nadu government has given us free footwear. This bhumadevi is dangerous, you could catch scabies from it,” the pastor brazened it out. The pastor also issued veiled threats to the Hindu community about the changing demographics of the State. “We are now the majority (in the Kanyakumari district) from 42 percent we have crossed 62 percent. Soon we would be 70 percent. You cannot stop us. I am saying this as a warning to my Hindu brothers.” A day prior to his arrest on Saturday, Father George Ponnaiah claimed, “Speech was edited and circulated in the social media. My words were twisted as if I hurt and degraded the sentiments of Hindu brothers and sisters.” He alleged that he did not intend to hurt religious sentiments through his contentious speech. While vowing to not repeat such words in the public domain, he said, “In case our speech had been that way, I wholeheartedly apologise on behalf of the meeting.”

Ashok Swain, Professor of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University, writes: "There is an on-going project to make ‘Hinduphobia’ a politically powerful tool in the West as anti-semitism. But, anti-semitism is a fact and Hinduphobia is a myth!"

Ashok Swain, Professor of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University, writes: "Hinduphobia is a bogey created to protect caste oppression & legitimize minority domination!"

In response to NASA's tweet inviting fall applications with the picture of four NASA interns, including the one of Pratima Roy that had Hindu Goddesses in the background and the Hinduphobic responses the tweet received, a Twitter user, Dr. Vivek, with 1000+ followers, denied Hinduphobia while tweeting: "Half comment section dekh liya koi us ladki ko bura nahi bol raha. Par chaman log khud lage hai pahle se comment karne mein people will mock her"

In response to NASA's tweet inviting fall applications with the picture of four NASA interns, including the one of Pratima Roy that had Hindu Goddesses in the background, a Twitter user, Comrade (தோழர்) Guppy with 1000+ followers, tweeted: "Seriously, who has all those idols in their working desk, I doubt even the most religious ones. This is just a flaunting and assertion of caste supremacy. And where will they have ever heard of Savitrimai"

In response to NASA's tweet inviting fall applications with the picture of four NASA interns, including the one of Pratima Roy that had Hindu Goddesses in the background, a Twitter user, Anonymous with 500+ followers, tweeted: "Good to see that there is place for superstition/obscurantism/brahminism in NASA. Good bye scientific temper. The lady is trying to give a strong message that she is what she is because of fictitious gods & not NASA."

In response to NASA's tweet inviting fall applications with the picture of four NASA interns, including the one of Pratima Roy that had Hindu Goddesses in the background, a Twitter user, Siddhesh Jadhav, tweeted (now deleted): "Bhakts supporting the 4th one from above , lemme tell you She isn't Indian she's surely an Kid of Elite Brahmin living in USA. She hasn't took 'Indianess' there from here but only Castiest mindset"

In response to NASA's tweet inviting fall applications with the picture of four NASA interns, including the one of Pratima Roy that had Hindu Goddesses in the background, a Twitter user, Nikhil Sahota Valmiki with 3000+ followers, tweeted: "उपर वाले तीनों :- हम अपने उपकरण लेके जाएंगे जोकि विज्ञान ने बनाए हैं ! हिन्दू :- मै अपने भगवान लेके जाऊंगी जिन्होंने ये सब कुछ बनाया है ! विज्ञान :-"

In response to NASA's tweet inviting fall applications with the picture of four NASA interns, including the one of Pratima Roy that had Hindu Goddesses in the background, a Twitter user, Vikash Kumar with 250+ followers and calls himself Ambedkarvadi and Periyarvadi, tweeted: "क्या लगता है मित्रो अगला मिशन मे नासा रॉकेट मे नीबू और मिर्ची लटका के भेज़ेगा? 🤣 "

In response to NASA's tweet inviting fall applications with the picture of four NASA interns, including the one of Pratima Roy that had Hindu Goddesses in the background and the Hinduphobic responses the tweet received thereafter, a Twitter user, Aamir tweeted: "Ek bhi comment nhi dikha hinduphobia ka khud hi jabardasti ka victim ban ke khush ho rhe h chhote log 😂😂😂🤦‍♂️" The tweet claims Hindus deliberately trying to play victim.

In response to NASA's tweet inviting fall applications with the picture of four NASA interns, including the one of Pratima Roy that had Hindu Goddesses in the background, a Twitter user, @TimePassUser with 100+ followers, tweeted: "Wherever Hindus(Brahmins) will go they will divide the nation into caste."

In response to NASA's tweet inviting fall applications with the picture of four NASA interns, including the one of Pratima Roy that had Hindu Goddesses in the background, a Twitter user, God Usopp with 110+ followers, tweeted: "Praan jaye par Brahminism naa jaye. NASA should just ask her to call one of those gods, paise bachenge bohot saare."