Daijiworld Media Network - Pune
Pune, Mar 10: Gloom gripped a major slum area in Pune on Monday after the arrest of a 20-year-old youth over a video in which he was heard saying “Pakistan Zindabad”, prompting several families to cancel their iftar.
The youth, described by neighbours as the sole breadwinner of his family and a “good man”, was arrested on Sunday after a video surfaced online showing him making the remark at a construction site where he worked.
Police have registered an FIR against him under Sections 192 and 196(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which relate to promoting enmity between groups based on religion and related grounds.
Family members and neighbours claimed that the youth had no criminal background and that he was allegedly provoked by a friend to make the remark, which they say was said in jest. They also alleged that an edited version of the video later surfaced online. According to them, the youth has already apologised for the statement.
The youth’s father died about two years ago. With his elder brother suffering from a disability, he had dropped out of school and started working at construction sites to support the family.
His mother, who works as a domestic help, broke down while speaking about the incident. “If you see the video, my son is clearly being goaded to say something. He does not understand the seriousness of the issue. He is only 20. He has already apologised and I am ready to apologise to anyone for the mistake he has made,” she said.
The youth’s aunt said the family had no connection with Pakistan. “We are Indians, born here and we will die here. Whatever he said was not meant seriously,” she said.
Several Hindu neighbours also came out in support of the family. One woman who has known them for years said the youth goes to work every morning and spends most of his free time at home with his mother after his father’s death.
“He is a good kid. If he was under bad influence, I would have said let him face punishment. But that is not the case. He just made a mistake,” she said, adding that Hindus and Muslims in the area live like one family.
Another neighbour recalled that after her husband’s death, Muslim families in the locality had supported her the most.
A Muslim resident said children in the area celebrate festivals and birth anniversaries such as Ambedkar Jayanti, Annabhau Sathe Jayanti and Shiv Jayanti together with their Hindu neighbours. “He has made a mistake and apologised. Why arrest someone who is the only support for his family?” he asked.
The FIR was filed by Hemant Gaikwad, who claimed he received the video on a WhatsApp group of ‘Sakal Hindu Samaj’ on March 7.
The Sakal Hindu Samaj is a loose coalition of several right-wing organisations, including the VHP, Bajrang Dal, Hindu Janjagruti Samiti, Hindu Pratisthan, Durga Vahini, Vishwa Shriram Sena and Sanatan Sanstha. The group has organised anti-‘love jihad’ rallies in Maharashtra and has faced allegations of hate speech in the past.
Incidentally, in May 2025, the Bombay High Court had criticised Pune Police for arresting a college student who shared a social media post ending with “Pakistan Zindabad” on her Instagram story.
The student had also been rusticated from her college during ongoing examinations.
Granting her bail and cancelling the rustication, the High Court had expressed shock that the FIR was filed without considering that the student had deleted the post and expressed remorse. The court had observed that authorities appeared “bent upon ruining her life”.