Hindu sentiments outraged; Muslim man makes derogatory remarks about revered Hindu king on social media
Jalgaon, Maharashtra, India 
9 November, 2026
Case Summary
In Amalner, Jalgaon, Maharashtra, revered Hindu king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj of the Maratha Empire was targeted with derogatory remarks by a Muslim man on social media. The accused was identified as Sheikh Nadeem Sheikh Mukhtar, who made abusive remarks against Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on his Instagram account. The incident came to light after a video of the accused went viral on social media, showing him in police custody. According to the police, Sheikh had posted a video containing objectionable remarks against Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on Instagram. After the video and its objectionable content attracted attention on social media, the Amalner police apprehended him. A police officer stated that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is deeply revered by the Hindu community and that the remarks were inflammatory and intended to hurt Hindu sentiments. Following his arrest, Sheikh was seen apologising in a video. He admitted to having made abusive remarks against Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and sought forgiveness from the Hindu community, acknowledging that Hindus held Shivaji Maharaj in high regard. He subsequently claimed that he had made the derogatory remarks by mistake and expressed regret over his actions. At the time of writing this report, further investigation was underway. Details regarding whether a formal First Information Report (FIR) had been registered against the accused were not publicly available.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case is being added to the tracker under the primary category: Hate Speech against Hindus. The subcategory selected is: Mocking/denigrating Hindu leaders. Hate speech is defined as any speech, gesture, conduct, writing, or display that is prejudicial against a specific individual and/or group of people, which is leading to or may lead to violence, prejudicial action or hate against that individual and/or group. Religious leaders are often seen as representatives of the community, especially, the community’s religious faith and beliefs. Mocking or denigrating a religious leader specifically owing to his religious identity and/or the religious rituals he observes can be considered hate speech because the motivating factor of the speech is animosity and/or dislike for what he represents – the religious beliefs and faith of the community. It is important to note that mere insulting words against an individual do not constitute hate speech. It is entirely possible that insulting words are used for an individual, however, the specific speech is not the result of religious hate and/or animosity towards the professed faith of the religious leader, but the individual himself. For the speech to be considered hate speech, the speech itself or the motivating factor behind the speech has to be religious in nature. Such speech which denigrates Hindu religious leaders specifically owing to animosity towards the faith they profess and the community faith they represent will be treated as hate speech under this category. This incident constituted a clear example of a religiously driven offence because the Muslim perpetrator made derogatory and abusive remarks against a revered Hindu king on social media. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj holds immense religious, historical and cultural significance for the Hindu community. Revered as a valiant Hindu king and the founder of the Maratha Empire, he is remembered for his commitment to Swarajya (self-rule), his resistance against oppressive Islamic rule and his efforts to protect Hindu religious traditions and cultural identity. He occupies a particularly revered position among Hindus, especially in Maharashtra, where he is celebrated as a symbol of Hindu pride, courage, self-determination and resistance against religious oppression. Consequently, making abusive remarks against such a revered figure and publishing them on social media demonstrated a blatant disregard for the religious and cultural sentiments of the Hindu community. The denigration of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj amounted to an attack on a historical icon whose legacy is deeply intertwined with Hindu history, heritage and identity. Targeting a figure so deeply revered by Hindus is an expression of religious hostility, as it involves the deliberate denigration of a symbol of Hindu resistance, pride and civilisational heritage. Such conduct demonstrated contempt not only for the historical legacy of Shivaji Maharaj but also for the Hindu community that continues to honour and revere him. Furthermore, the perpetrator chose to publish the abusive remarks on his Instagram account, ensuring that they reached a wider audience beyond a private setting. By publicly circulating derogatory content against a figure deeply revered by Hindus, he exposed the Hindu community to the denigration of one of its most respected historical icons. The deliberate use of a public platform amplified the offence, increased the potential to hurt Hindu religious and cultural sentiments, and contributed to public outrage. Such public denigration reflected hostility towards Hindu beliefs, heritage and collective identity, as it subjected a figure of immense significance to the Hindu community to open contempt and ridicule. Even though the perpetrator later stated that he had made the remarks by mistake and apologised to the Hindu community, this did not erase the offence he had initially committed. He had consciously made abusive remarks against Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and published the objectionable content on his Instagram account. His subsequent apology and expression of regret did not undo the original act of publicly denigrating a revered Hindu king or diminish the offence caused to the Hindu community. An apology following public outrage did not whitewash the initial act of hate speech or negate the hostility demonstrated through the original remarks. Given that this case meets the parameters of religiously driven hate speech, it is being added to the hate crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records the date of an incident based on when the crime occurred rather than when it was reported in the media. However, in this case, media reports did not specify the exact date on which the offence took place. Therefore, 10 November 2026, the date on which the incident came to light and was reported by the media, has been selected as the indicative incident date for documentation purposes only.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
