Tensions escalated in Paud village, Pune, Maharashtra, after a Muslim youth was caught on CCTV urinating on a murti of Maa Annapurna at Nageshwar Mandir on May 2.
There would have been riots and massacre of Hindus if such a outrageous desecration had happened in a mosque in Pakistan or Bangladesh.
This is 19 year old musalman Chand Naushad Sheikh in Mahadev temple, Pune.
Make an example out of him.pic.twitter.com/E2RMcJfK1C
— Kashmiri Hindu (@BattaKashmiri) May 3, 2025
Outraged locals beat the accused, Chand Shaikh (19), and his father, Naushad Shaikh (44), before taking them to the police station. Reports suggest that Naushad mocked the onlookers, saying, “You Hindus can’t do anything to us.”
On May 3, villagers in Paud held a protest march condemning the actions of Chand Shaikh, chanting slogans like “Jai Shri Ram” and “Pakistan Murdabad.”
Senior Inspector Santosh Girigosavi of Paud police station stated that when the villagers informed Chand Shaikh’s family about the incident, his father responded with abusive language.
#WATCH | #Pune: Paud Residents Take Out Protest March After Muslim Youth Desecrates Idol Of Goddess Annapurna At Nageshwar Temple#punenews #Maharashtra #NageshwarTemple pic.twitter.com/MCOln4HaK8
— Free Press Journal (@fpjindia) May 3, 2025
A case has been filed by Paud Police against Chand Shaikh and his father, with an ongoing investigation. According to reports, Shivaji Waghvale, a local resident, lodged a complaint at the police station. The complaint mentions CCTV footage showing Chand Shaikh desecrating the murti of the deity at Nageshwar Mandir. When locals approached his father, Naushad Shaikh, to address the issue, he allegedly responded with threatening and abusive language.
