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Hindu neighbours rally around 20-yr-old held for ‘Pak Zindabad’ slogans, say ‘good kid… spoke in jest’

“He does not understand the gravity of the issue. He is my child… He has already apologised and I am ready to do so too… for the mistake he has made,” says the mother.

4 min readPuneMar 10, 2026 07:12 AM IST

The 20-year-old’s father passed away around two years ago. As his elder brother has a disability, the youth dropped out of school and started working, taking up jobs at construction sites.

On Monday, at one of Pune’s major slums, many families cancelled iftar. A pall of gloom hangs over the area after the arrest of a 20-year-old over a video showing him saying ‘Pakistan Zindabad’, with Hindu neighbours joining the family of the youth in regretting how a remark they say was made in jest had got blown up.

The 20-year-old, the main breadwinner of the family and described by everyone as a “good man” who spent most of his free time at home, was arrested on Sunday. An FIR has been lodged against him under BNS Sections 192 and 196(1), covering “promotion of enmity” between groups based on religion etc, after a video surfaced of him making the remarks at a construction site where he was working.

Neighbours and family members say the 20-year-old has no criminal past and was “incited” by a friend into making the remarks, with an edited video of it surfacing online. He has already apologised for his statements, say family members.

The 20-year-old’s father passed away around two years ago. As his elder brother has a disability, the youth dropped out of school and started working, taking up jobs at construction sites.

The mother, who works as a domestic worker, breaks down, saying: “If you see the video, my son is clearly being goaded to say something. He does not understand the gravity of the issue. He is my child, just 20. He has already apologised and I am ready to do so too, to whoever required, for the mistake he has made.”

The youth’s aunt says “we have nothing to do with Pakistan”. “We are Indians, born in India and will die here… Whatever he said was not said seriously.”

A Hindu neighbour, who has known the family all her life, says: “The 20-year-old is a good kid. He goes to work in the morning at 9 and comes back and sits with his mother since his father died… If he actually was under some bad influence, I would have said let him face the punishment. But here that is not the case. He is actually a good kid who just made a mistake.”

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The neighbour adds, “Hindus and Muslims here all stay like family.”

Another Hindu neighbour, who also vouches for the youth, says that after her husband’s death, Muslim families in the neighbourhood had been her biggest help.

A Muslim neighbour says: “Our children celebrate Ambedkar Jayanti, Annabhau Sathe Jayanti, Shiv Jayanti, with our Hindu neighbours. He has made a mistake and his apology should be accepted. Why arrest a young man who is his family’s main support?”

The FIR was filed by a man called Hemant Gaikwad, who said he received the video on the WhatsApp group of ‘Sakal Hindu Samaj’ on March 7. A loose conglomeration of right-wing outfits such as the VHP, Bajrang Dal, Hindu Janjagruti Samiti, Hindu Pratisthan, Durga Vahini, Vishwa Shriram Sena and Sanatan Sanstha, the Hindu Sakal Samaj has taken out anti-’love jihad’ rallies in the state and been accused of hate speech.

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Incidentally, in May 2025, the Bombay High Court had rapped the Pune Police for arresting a college student over sharing a post ending with ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ on her Instagram story. The student was also rusticated from her college during ongoing examinations.

Granting her bail and cancelling the rustication, the High Court had expressed shock that the FIR was lodged “without even considering the factual aspect of the petitioner deleting the post and expressing remorse, tendering apology”. “It appears that police officers and college are bent upon ruining her life.”

Soham Shah

Soham Shah is a Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Pune. A journalism graduate with a background in fact-checking, he brings a meticulous and research-oriented approach to his current reporting. Professional Background Role: Correspondent coverig education and city affairs in Pune. Specialization: His primary beat is education, but he also maintains a strong focus on civic issues, public health, human rights, and state politics. Key Strength: Soham focuses on data-driven reporting on school and college education, government reports, and public infrastructure. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) His late 2025 work highlights a transition from education-centric reporting to hard-hitting investigative and human-rights stories: 1. Investigations & Governance "Express Impact: Mother's name now a must to download birth certificate from PMC site" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on a significant policy change by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) following his earlier reports on gender inclusivity in administrative documents. "44-Acre Mahar Land Controversy: In June, Pune official sought land eviction at Pawar son firm behest" (Nov 9, 2025): An investigative piece on real estate irregularities involving high-profile political families. 2. Education & Campus Life Faculty crisis at SPPU hits research, admin work: 62% of govt-sanctioned posts vacant, over 75% in many depts (Sept 12, 2025): An investigative piece on professor vacancies at Savitribai Phule Pune University. "Maharashtra’s controversial third language policy: Why National Curriculum Framework recommends a third language from Class 6" (July 2): This detailed piece unpacks reasons behind why the state's move to introduce a third language from class 1 was controversial. "Decline in number of schools, teachers in Maharashtra but student enrolment up: Report" (Jan 2025): Analyzing discrepancies in the state's education data despite rising student numbers. 3. Human Rights & Social Issues "Aanchal Mamidawar was brave after her family killed her boyfriend" (Dec 17, 2025): A deeply personal and hard-hitting opinion piece/column on the "crime of love" and honor killings in modern India. "'People disrespect the disabled': Meet the man who has become face of racist attacks on Indians" (Nov 29, 2025): A profile of a Pune resident with severe physical deformities who became the target of global online harassment, highlighting issues of disability and cyber-bullying. Signature Style Soham is known for his civil-liberties lens. His reporting frequently champions the rights of the marginalized—whether it's students fighting for campus democracy, victims of regressive social practices, or residents struggling with crumbling urban infrastructure (as seen in his "Breathless Pune" contributions). He is adept at linking hyper-local Pune issues to larger national conversations about law and liberty. X (Twitter): @SohamShah07 ... Read More

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