Representative Image
A disturbing video from a Garba event in Nalasopara, a bustling township in Mumbai’s extended northern suburbs, on the night of October 19, 2026 has gone viral, showing an 18-year-old man identified as Mohammad Gufran Shaikh (also referred to as Gufran Gulzar Rain or Gufran Sheikh) assaulting a 17-year-old Hindu girl.
The incident occurred at Santosh Bhuvan or Garel Pada area during Navratri festivities. Social media posts mention that Shaikh entered the event, harassed minor Hindu girls through inappropriate touching, and when one girl objected, he slapped her and reportedly declared he was not afraid of the law. Bystanders recorded the confrontation and shamelessly as well as remorselessly the assaulter kept on challenging the bystanders by saying he neither cares about them recording it nor was he afraid of the police.
🚨 Nalasopara, Maharashtra
Mohammad Gufran Shaikh allegedly entered a Garba event at Santosh Bhuvan, Nalasopara East, and harassed minor Hindu girls.
When one brave girl objected, he allegedly slapped her and reportedly said, “Do whatever you want. I’m not afraid of the law.”…
— Megh Updates 🚨™ (@MeghUpdates) October 20, 2026
Police (Senior Inspector Sachin Kamble of Pelhar station) stated the accused and the victim had previously been friends. He became extremely angry after she stopped talking to him. He then assaulted her at the pandal and also misbehaved with other girls. He has since been arrested.
The sequence captured on video and described in the complaint is one of verbal abuse, physical insistence and forced closeness, a death threat, and repeated public slapping of a minor after she resisted, with the accused displaying open defiance toward both the girl and those recording him.
Pelhar police station registered FIR 911/26 under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 74, 352 and 351(2) along with POCSO Section 12. The accused was arrested.
BREAKING!
POCSO invoked against the accused Gurfan! pic.twitter.com/X7gdAoCqHn
— Treeni (@treeni) October 20, 2026
Mira-Bhayandar Vasai-Virar Police confirmed the FIR and that the situation remained peaceful. Senior Inspector Sachin Kamble stated the victim and accused had been friends, but the accused grew angry after she stopped talking to him. He allegedly dragged her out of the pandal area and assaulted her. Later reports alleged the accused’s family pressured the victim to withdraw the complaint.
Reports indicated that his mother sent some people who approached the victim’s home and allegedly pressured her through emotional blackmail to withdraw the complaint, telling her that the mother of the boy has taken gravely ill due to shock and that the girl herself was young and that the case would ruin her life as well.
URGENT 🚨
In the Nalasopara Garba incident from last night, Gufran Shaikh’s mother and his family are pressuring the victim to withdraw the case.
Today, his mother reached the victim’s home and told her she is very young and her life will be destroyed.
They are emotionally… https://t.co/Y9X9Rvd28x pic.twitter.com/3NZXwV2eAY
— Treeni (@treeni) October 20, 2026
Hindu organisations protested and demanded strict action, highlighting safety concerns for girls at public Garba events.
The incident has drawn attention to earlier comments by Amruta Fadnavis, wife of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. In September 2026, amid Vishwa Hindu Parishad calls to restrict Muslim participation in Garba and Dandiya events, she stated that festivals should be inclusive.
“If a Muslim person also comes there and enjoys the festival properly, I do not see anything wrong in it,” Amruta Fadnavis had said.
"I think the festival of ours is inclusive… If any Muslim man wants to enjoy the Garba, there should be no problem."
Amruta Fadnavis replies to Minister Nitish Rane's statement calling to bar Muslims from Garba. pic.twitter.com/x177BHlXqq
— Treeni (@treeni) September 8, 2026
She described Garba and Navratri as beautiful festivals known worldwide and argued against discrimination on the basis of caste or faith if participants came with devotion. She compared it to how people of all faiths join Christmas celebrations.
Her remarks came after VHP guidelines for identity checks and tilak application, supported by some BJP leaders citing “love jihad” risks. Many citizens in Maharashtra expressed upset that such views treated the festival as a secular cultural party rather than a religious observance tied to Goddess Durga and her victory over the demon Mahishasura on the tenth day of Dussehra.
OpIndia Editor-in-Chief Nupur J Sharma has consistently argued that Garba is a religious act of worship, not entertainment.
Garba is worship, not a party
Indian Express' anti-Hindu report has to be demolished, word for word.
I deconstruct why it is wrong and why Muslims are not, and should be welcomed into Garba
Full video: pic.twitter.com/D8spzwoNW1
— Nupur J Sharma (@UnSubtleDesi) October 20, 2026
In a widely shared 2022 post she wrote: “Dear Muslims, garba is a deeply religious affair – it’s not entertainment. It’s a celebration of Navadurga, of the mighty Devi and her nine forms. If you want to participate, please do ghar wapasi and submit to Maa. Else, pls stay away. Thank you.”
She reiterated the position in recent posts around 20 October 2026, stating “Garba is worship, not a party” and questioning why those for whom the concept of a Devi is antithetical to their faith should participate in the festival.
Should Muslims be allowed in Garba gatherings? Navratri is for devotees and the very concept of a Devi is antithetical to Islam.
Then why invade our festivals? Our faith? pic.twitter.com/YbAeIcgaMa
— Nupur J Sharma (@UnSubtleDesi) October 20, 2026
The Nalasopara case remains under investigation. Hindu organisations continue to call for better security at Garba venues and clearer recognition of Navratri as a religious festival dedicated to the Goddess.
BJP leader Kirit Somaiya shared details from what he described as the victim’s complaint: the accused used abusive language came close to her, insisted she stay with him, and attempted forced closeness.
Another "Love Jihad" at Nalasopara
Muslim JIHADI Gufaran Guljar Rain, assaulted 17 year old Hindu Girl Santosh Bhavan, Nalasopara as She refused Gulfaran "Love Jihad" moves.
FIR 911/2026 registered at Pelhar Police Station
पीडिताची तक्रार
"गुफरान याने मला शिवीगाळ करत तो… pic.twitter.com/4F5Ttlipqb
— Kirit Somaiya (@KiritSomaiya) October 20, 2026
When she pushed him away and tried to leave, he threatened her with the words “If you don’t talk to me, I will kill you.” He then slapped her multiple times. Somaiya pointed out that the incident is yet another case of “Love Jihad,” stating that the girl was assaulted after she refused Gufran’s advances. He noted that FIR 911/2026 had been registered at Pelhar Police Station.
Similar allegations of disruptive or violative behaviour by Muslim youths at Navratri and Garba gatherings have surfaced repeatedly across states. Right-wing groups and organisers have cited cases of alleged eve-teasing, inappropriate touching of Hindu girls, entry under false identities, and “love jihad” attempts. In Gujarat this season, announcements at some events asked non-Hindus and Muslims to leave, while confrontations occurred over Muslim workers and musicians at venues in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and Bhavnagar. Past years saw Bajrang Dal and VHP interventions, arrests of Muslim men at pandals, and organisers facing pressure to exclude Muslim performers. In Madhya Pradesh and elsewhere, bans or identity checks were imposed as complaints of Muslim men targeting Hindu women arose.
Separately, objections by some Muslim groups to Hindu processions using musical instruments while passing mosques have a long history. During Ganapati visarjan or Durga Pujo processions, demands to silence drums, cymbals and bands near masjids have led to tensions, police restrictions and occasional clashes.
Muslims shifting the goal post when it comes to showing reverence and tolerance to Hindu festivals is nothing new. Historical records from the late 19th and early 20th centuries document such disputes in Maharashtra and elsewhere.
In Bangladesh, authorities have directed Hindu organisers to pause musical instruments during azan and namaz for Durga Puja. Ironically, these same youths from Muslim communities want to keep their womenfolk at home but want themselves to be allowed to participate in social all-gender festive religious gatherings where Hindu girls freely participate.
These patterns fuel arguments that participation in Hindu religious events should respect the festival’s core character rather than treat it as open entertainment.
