By ImpactLens Correspondent
Once known for its peaceful coexistence and communal harmony, the villages of Paud, Pirangut, Kolvan, Suatarwadi and surrounding areas in Mulshi Taluka, Pune district, are today witnessing a disturbing and dangerous breakdown in social fabric. Since early May 2025, targeted intimidation, hate propaganda, and unconstitutional actions have created an atmosphere of fear and insecurity—particularly for the Muslim community. This rising tide of communal tension has not only endangered civil liberties but has also triggered severe unemployment, social alienation, and forced displacement.
A Fabric of Harmony Being Torn Apart
Historically, Mulshi Taluka has not experienced communal violence. Local Hindus, Muslims, and other communities have lived together peacefully. But over the past two months, a dangerous shift has been taking place. According to testimonies from villagers and civil society organizations, anti-social and majoritarian elements are deliberately poisoning the atmosphere with coordinated attempts to isolate and economically boycott the Muslim community.
Shopkeepers, vendors, and workers—especially from the Muslim community—are being systematically targeted. Many have been compelled to shut their businesses under threat. In some cases, mobs have resorted to arson, with a scrap shop reportedly set ablaze. Perhaps most disturbing are the boards and placards erected in public spaces, banning the entry of Muslims not residing in the villages—openly violating the Constitution of India.
The Trigger: A Singular Incident, Collective Punishment
The tensions appear to have been triggered by an incident in the first week of May, in which a young boy from a particular community reportedly desecrated an idol of Goddess Annapurna in Paud. It is increasingly being observed that in such incidents, vulnerable youth are being deliberately misled or lured—often with money—to carry out provocative acts, pointing to a disturbing trend of using young people as instruments to foment communal discord. The boy was arrested by the police, and a political morcha was organized in protest. Although the local police managed to control the immediate situation and community leaders made efforts to ease tensions, the aftermath has proven to be far more insidious and organized.
Instead of restoring calm, a wave of organized discrimination followed. Display boards, many near places of worship, banned the entry of Muslims from outside the villages. Groups—some local, some from outside—have allegedly roamed the area threatening those who dare to employ Muslims, rent to them, or even associate with them. These actions are being carried out, it is alleged, with the tacit support—or at least the inaction—of local law enforcement.
Economic Devastation and Social Ostracism
The consequences have been devastating. Several well-established Muslim-run bakeries—Sangam Bakery, New Bharat Bakery, and Roshan Bakery—were forced to shut down despite being decades-old institutions in the community. Their staff, comprising both Hindus and Muslims, now find themselves jobless. Similar stories emerge from small-scale businesses—salons, scrap dealers, and meat vendors—who have been harassed into closure.
Over a hundred people have lost their livelihoods. Families are being forced to send their loved ones away to native villages due to fear and financial hardship. Some Muslim families have been forced out entirely, seeking temporary shelter elsewhere. Hindu residents, too, have reportedly been threatened for showing solidarity or providing support to their Muslim neighbors.
This targeted economic exclusion is not only unjust—it is unconstitutional. Article 19 of the Indian Constitution guarantees the freedom to reside, move, and work anywhere in India. Article 25 protects religious freedom. These rights are not conditional on community or religion, nor can they be taken away by local vigilante groups or unauthorized institutions.
Hate Beyond Mulshi: The Urban Spillover
These patterns of exclusion are not limited to rural areas. In Pune city, too, hate messages have circulated via social media, urging citizens not to buy from Muslim-owned establishments or vendors. Even banana sellers and vegetable vendors have faced discrimination. Salons have been attacked. These messages, often carrying incendiary and communal content, continue to circulate with impunity despite being reported to the police and cyber cells.
Call for Urgent Action
What is unfolding in Mulshi Taluka is not merely a law-and-order issue—it is a grave human rights crisis. It threatens the very ideals on which India is built: unity in diversity, the rule of law, and equal rights for all citizens.
The Road Ahead: Rebuilding Trust and Constitutional Order
It is critical that the State takes swift and visible action—not only to restore normalcy in Mulshi but also to send a clear message that such acts will not be tolerated in a democratic society. The longer these events are allowed to fester, the more they risk becoming a template for communal polarization in other regions.
This is not a case of inter-community tension—it is a case of targeted intimidation, unconstitutional exclusion, and violation of fundamental rights. Economic marginalization, forced migration, and social boycott cannot be normalized.
Let Mulshi stand as a warning. But more importantly, let it become a place where justice is restored, harmony rebuilt, and the Constitution upheld—for all.
