In Maharashtra’s Yavat village, a mob attacked and burnt Swapnil Kadam’s bakery believing it was Muslim-owned due to its Muslim workers
PUNE – Once again, communal hatred and Islamophobia have led to the destruction of innocent livelihoods in Maharashtra. This time, the victim is not a Muslim but a Hindu man, Swapnil Adinath Kadam, whose bakery in Yavat village of Pune district, was torched by a violent mob under the mistaken belief that the shop belonged to a Muslim.
The incident unfolded amidst rising tensions triggered by a viral social media post by a Muslim youth and reports of alleged vandalism of a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the area. Following a protest rally that escalated into a violent mob march, the crowd, on its way to a local mosque, targeted the bakery after a bystander claimed it was owned by a Muslim.
Swapnil Kadam, who runs the bakery as a means to support his family, shared the harrowing experience with reporters. “Someone from the crowd shouted without confirming the facts that this bakery belonged to a Muslim because some Muslim workers from Uttar Pradesh are employed here. They assumed I must be Muslim too,” he explained. He described how the mob immediately started pelting stones at the shop, ripping off the tin roof, and throwing flammable material, which quickly engulfed the bakery in flames.
Despite the bakery being completely destroyed, Swapnil insists that neither he nor his workers have any connection to the provocative social media post that helped inflame tensions. “My employees are here just to work. They have no involvement with the post or any provocative activity,” he said firmly.
This incident is yet another worrying sign of the increasing hostility faced by Muslims and those associated with them in Maharashtra and across India. What makes this case particularly distressing is that even people from the Hindu majority community are now being attacked and punished on mere suspicion of Muslim identity, purely based on the presence of Muslim workers in their establishments.
Local police have launched an investigation into the incident, while the administration has called for calm and peace. The victim’s family is appealing for justice, fearing that such unchecked hatred and false assumptions could lead to further harm and unrest.
Communal violence and Islamophobic sentiment are not new to Maharashtra, but this incident starkly highlights how dangerous prejudice has become, causing innocent people—Muslims and non-Muslims alike—to lose their livelihoods and live in fear. The wider community must reflect on the real cost of such hatred and work towards genuine harmony and understanding.
A local resident, requesting anonymity, lamented, “The way people are quick to blame Muslims without any proof shows how deep the fear and hatred have grown. Innocent families like Kadam’s suffer because of rumours and intolerance. This is a loss for all of us.”
This case sends a strong message that Islamophobia not only targets Muslims but also anyone even remotely associated with them, resulting in unjust consequences that affect the fabric of society. It raises serious questions about the safety and rights of Indian Muslims and calls for urgent steps to protect all citizens from communal violence.
