'Goa's demographic profile has changed considerably during the last 30 years, and it now hosts large numbers of 'outsiders' who have come there to find work: among them, Muslims from north Karnataka, but also Kashmiris, Hindu Kannadigas, and Biharis,' the letter states.

It adds that the cultural aggression of the HJS should be seen in the larger context of increasing Goan hostility towards 'outsiders' and 'dissent' generally.

Earlier this week, Kerkar had filed a complaint at the Calangute police station and said that he was being threatened by unknown persons who had warned him to withdraw his Ganesh exhibition or face death.

The rightwing groups had claimed that Kerkar's 'obscene' portrayal of Lord Ganesh amounted to denigration of Hindu religion and offended the feelings of Hindus in Goa.

Kerkar's paintings and a green installation featuring a large idol of Lord Ganesh amidst heaps of garbage -- highlighting the garbage woes of the state -- are to feature in an exhibition in the artist's gallery in Calangute later this month.