Hindu trader receive threat after boycotting Turkish apples over Turkey’s pro-Pakistan stance during military confrontation following Pahalgam Hindu massacre
Pune, Maharashtra, India 
14 May, 2025
Case Summary
In response to Turkey's explicit support for Pakistan, particularly regarding its position on Kashmir and opposition to Bharat’s recent anti-terror operations following the Pahalgam Hindu massacre, a fruit trader from Pune, Suyog Zende, announced the suspension of apple imports from Turkey. This declaration was followed, within a few days, by Zende receiving a voice message containing threats and derogatory remarks against Bharat. The incident occurred amidst heightened emotions following Operation Sindoor, India’s military strike in response to the Pahalgam Hindu massacre, where Hindu tourists were killed for their faith at point-blank range by Pakistan-backed Islamic terrorists and the subsequent Pakistan’s unprovoked retaliatory attacks along the Line of Control (LOC). Turkey provided a multi-dimensional support to Pakistan. As a mark of protest, traders from the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (Market Yard) in Pune discarded crates of Turkish apples on the street. This symbolic act was part of a broader call to boycott Turkish produce. Mr Zende, along with other traders, had earlier resolved not to import apples from Turkey. This decision was prompted by Turkey’s criticism of Bharat's internal security operations and its overt support for Pakistan and the Pakistan-occupied regions of Kashmir. Mr Zende reported that around 9 a.m., he began receiving phone calls which he did not answer. Subsequently, he received a voice message, reportedly from Pakistan, in which offensive language was used against Bharat. The message implied that individuals in Bharat would be powerless against Turkey or Pakistan. Mr Zende responded to this voice message in kind and plans to bring the matter to the attention of the police authorities. The apple trade alone constitutes a business of approximately ₹1,200 crore in Pune, according to Mr Zende. Besides apples, traders in the city also import other produce from Turkey, including lychees, plums, cherries, and various dried fruits. The recent decision to halt apple imports could significantly affect the volume of trade between the two nations. Maharashtra's chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis, congratulated traders for their nationalist stance. He assured the traders by saying that there is no need to take such empty threats seriously.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category of - Attack not resulting in death. Within it, the sub-category selected is - Attacked for opposing radicals or trying to save victim. In several cases, Hindus are attacked for opposing religiously motivated crimes being committed against a fellow Hindu or simply for voicing an opinion opposing radical elements, who either have in the past or continue to persecute Hindus. In such cases, the initial attack against the victim, against which the Hindu was trying to defend the victim, would also need to be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime. Since the initial crime itself was religiously motivated, and the subsequent crime of attempting to save the victim or speaking against the radical elements ends up inviting a violent attack, it would also be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under this category. In this case, a Hindu fruit vendor decided to suspend apple imports from Turkey as a response to Turkey's support for Pakistan. Following India's Operation Sindoor, a targeted retaliatory strike against Pakistan-backed Islamic terrorists responsible for the Pahalgam Hindu massacre, in which over two dozen Hindu pilgrims were killed after being identified by their religion, Pakistan responded with unprovoked military escalation along the Line of Control (LoC), including shelling and infiltration attempts. Despite clear evidence of Pakistan’s role in sponsoring the terror attack, Turkey extended diplomatic and public support to Pakistan, echoing its usual pro-Pakistan stance on Kashmir and portraying India as the aggressor. Turkey's response drew strong criticism in India, particularly among citizens and trade groups, as it not only whitewashed the brutal killing of Hindus but also emboldened cross-border terrorism under the guise of geopolitical posturing. The Hindu fruit vendor received a voice message containing threats and derogatory remarks against India. Some may argue that the message was driven more by anti-India and pro-Pakistan sentiments than by direct anti-Hindu animosity. However, threatening a Hindu trader for specifically supporting India and undertaking actions that would harm the interests of Turkey and Pakistan reflects not just allegiance to the Islamic countries but also a deep-seated hostility toward Hindus. It's important to understand that radical Islamist ideology often harbours targeted animosity toward Hindus and perceives India as a Hindu collectivity. The very basis of the partition of India was that the Muslims believed that Islam was a nation unto itself, which could not survive with a Hindu collectivity like India. Further, Muslims often believe in transnational unity - or the Ummah - which is a belief that all Muslims across the world are a nation unto themselves and therefore, loyalty as far as the nation-state is concerned lies with the Muslim collectivity and not with a Hindu collectivity like India. Therefore, the threats in this case are not expressions of geopolitical bias but reflect religiously motivated hate against Hindus. As such, this incident has been recorded in the hate crime database under the category of attacks driven by opposition to radicalism and religiously motivated animosity.
Victim Details
Total Victim
1
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 1
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 1
- Unknown 0
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 1
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Unknown
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
