A 26-year-old Hindu doctor, Dr. Vishal Harindra Yadav, working at Mumbai’s King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital, was stabbed by the brother of a Muslim woman colleague, with whom he was in an alleged relationship.
The accused, identified as Fareed Khan (20), along with his friends Nabil Imam Shaikh (19) and Alishan Hashmi (19), allegedly ambushed Dr. Yadav outside the hospital on Wednesday morning (October 29). The assault, captured partly on CCTV, took place near Hanuman Mandir, opposite Bus Stop No. 57 in Parel, leaving the doctor with deep wounds on his back and arm.
The First Information Report (FIR No. 416/2025) was registered at the Bhoiwada Police Station on October 30, detailing the sequence of events leading up to the attack.
How the relationship led to an attack
According to the FIR, Dr. Vishal Harindra Yadav, a resident of Nalasopara (East), Palghar District, completed his MBBS from Russia in 2023 before joining the Cardio-Vascular and Thoracic Surgery (CVTS) department at KEM Hospital as a House Officer on August 1, 2025.
In his statement, Dr. Yadav recounted how he met Munja (Munazza) Khan (23), a perfusionist in the same department. Their frequent professional interaction soon blossomed into a close friendship, which later developed into a romantic relationship. The two had reportedly been seeing each other for the past three weeks and frequently communicated via WhatsApp and Instagram.
Neither family was aware of their relationship until Munja’s sister, Faika, discovered it a week before the attack.
“Last week, Munja’s sister Faika came to know about our relationship. On October 29, around 10:30 am, Munja’s brother Fareed Khan, his friend Nabeel, and another person came outside Ward No. 31 and asked me if I was Dr. Vishal. When I confirmed, Fareed said, ‘Come with us to our house; we’ll settle whatever is between you and Munja,’” Dr. Yadav stated in his complaint.
He added that Munja’s phone had been switched off that morning, and he refused to accompany them without speaking to her first. The accused, however, insisted and led him toward the Hanuman Mandir near the hospital, claiming they only wanted to “sort things out.”
Once there, the tone of the conversation changed. When Dr. Yadav refused again, Fareed Khan and his companions allegedly began abusing and assaulting him.
“They started beating me and shouting, ‘We are very bad, today we will not leave you alive.’ Suddenly, Fareed took out a sharp knife and stabbed me in the back and on my left hand. The others continued to hit me. I cried for help as pedestrians began running away,” the FIR notes.
The doctor collapsed on the footpath, bleeding heavily, as the assailants fled the scene.
Police response and legal action
Passersby rushed to help Dr. Yadav, who was immediately admitted to KEM Hospital’s emergency ward, where he received urgent medical attention.
Based on his statement, the Bhoiwada Police registered a case under Sections 109, 115, 118(1), 3(5), 351(3), and 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for attempt to murder, criminal intimidation, and causing grievous hurt with a sharp weapon.
Police formed multiple teams and analysed CCTV footage from the hospital and nearby lanes. Within 24 hours, Fareed Khan and Nabil Shaikh, both working as security guards at a construction site in Nagpada, were arrested. The third accused, Alishan Hashmi, was traced and detained from Sewri market after informants identified him from the footage.
A senior police officer supervising the investigation said: “The accused initially intended to threaten the doctor to end the relationship. But when he refused to go with them, the confrontation escalated into a violent attack. CCTV footage and witness statements helped us crack the case swiftly.”
All three accused are currently in police custody, and further investigation is underway to determine if anyone else in the family had prior knowledge or involvement.
Doctor out of danger
Dr. Mohan Desai, Medical Superintendent of KEM Hospital, confirmed that the young doctor received timely medical care and is now recovering.
“The doctor was stabbed thrice, once in the back and twice on the arm. He was treated immediately, kept under observation, and discharged once his condition stabilised. He is out of danger now,” Dr. Desai said.
Hospital authorities have also increased security in the CVTS ward following the incident, given that both the victim and the woman involved were employees.
Police sources revealed that Dr. Yadav initially hesitated to lodge a complaint, citing concerns about personal and professional repercussions.
“His sister’s wedding is scheduled soon, and he feared the matter would attract unwanted publicity. He eventually agreed to file the FIR after persistent persuasion,” said a senior officer.
Meanwhile, Munja Khan, the woman at the center of the controversy, has not issued any public statement and has reportedly gone on leave.
Growing social intolerance
This case has reignited public debate over religious intolerance and moral policing in Islamists. Incidents where families violently oppose interfaith relationships, often under social or religious pressure, have been increasingly reported across states.
While Mumbai has long been hailed as India’s most cosmopolitan city, such cases point to a growing divide even in professional and educated circles. Legal experts note that though BNS provisions cover such violent acts comprehensively, societal attitudes towards interfaith relationships remain a deeper concern that laws alone cannot address.
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