Hindu youth killed and two others injured in brutal attack by Muslim assailants in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar after minor dispute
Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India 
18 June, 2025
Case Summary
In the Mukundwadi area of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra, a Dalit Hindu youth was killed and his brother and a friend were brutally injured by a Muslim man following a minor verbal dispute. As per media reports, the deceased was identified as Nitin Sonaji Sankapal. The two other victims, who sustained injuries, are Sachin Sonaji Sankpal, Nitin’s brother, and their friend Datta Balaji Jadhav. Nitin operated a tea and egg stall at the Cidco bus stand, while his brother worked in lift maintenance. The incident unfurled when the three were dining at a local eatery in the Mukundwadi area. After dinner, Nitin went behind a chicken shop owned by Muslims to urinate. Then, two Muslims named Mastan Qureshi and Samir Shaikh objected to this, leading to a heated verbal altercation. Subsequently, Qureshi seized a koyta (cleaver) used for chopping chicken and attacked the three Hindu youths. He then fled the scene. The nearby residents witnessed this and immediately attempted to persuade several vehicle owners to transport the three injured to the hospital, but their requests were refused, resulting in a delay. Eventually, the injured were rushed to the District Civil Hospital, where doctors pronounced Nitin dead. He had sustained severe injuries to his head and chest. The other two victims were severely injured and were undergoing treatment. Police Inspector Gajanan Kalyankar, API Bharat Pachole, Ravi Gacche, and Sandeep Salunke responded immediately upon receiving the information, but Qureshi had already absconded. The police launched a search for Qureshi and his associate Sameer. Qureshi was later apprehended in the Sai Tekdi area while attempting to flee after meeting his family at midnight. Sameer was arrested at his home in Misarwadi. In total, the police arrested Mastan Qureshi alias Nanna (29), Samir Khan (19), Babar Shaikh (32), Sajid Qureshi alias Sajju (29), and Nasir Khan (20). They were charged under relevant provisions of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. In response to the murder, the civic body’s anti-encroachment squad demolished 229 shops, tin sheds, garages, washing centres, and both kutcha and pucca constructions operating on encroached land along the busy Jalna-Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar road on the morning of 20th June 2025. The demolished shops included the one owned by the Muslim accused. The Satara area police station also arrested the accused in connection with a pending dacoity case. All the accused were granted bail on 20th June 2025, after being produced before a special court set up under the SC/ST Act, on the grounds of ‘technical reasons’.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
In this case, the immediate cause of the crime appears to be non-religious, that is, a verbal argument over urination. However, the extreme violence inflicted on the Hindu victims, resulting in the death of one of them, raises serious concerns about possible premeditation and deeper religious motives behind the attack. The disproportionate brutality suggests that the Muslim perpetrator may have harboured deep-seated animosity towards the victims, potentially driven by religious bias or hatred. Such excessive violence in response to a minor altercation often reflects underlying communal tensions. There is a well-documented precedent where hostility towards the Hindu community has played a significant role in similar violent incidents. These acts are rarely isolated instances of violence but rather stem from entrenched religious intolerance and animosity, fitting into a broader pattern of anti-Hindu hatred. In this specific case, the disproportionate violence resulting in one death raises serious suspicion of communal undertones. However, no evidence suggests that the attack was premeditated based on religious identity, nor were religious slurs or motives expressed during the incident. The altercation appears circumstantial, arising from a momentary dispute rather than a pattern of religious hostility. Since there are currently no clear indicators of religious motivation in this case, and neither the deceased victim’s family nor the injured victims have suggested such a motive, therefore, the case remains classified as ‘Undecided’ in the database. If any further evidence emerges confirming a religious motive, then the case would be reclassified accordingly within the hate crime database.
Victim Details
Total Victim
3
Deceased
1
Gender
- Male 3
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 2
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 1
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 3
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Case sub-judice
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 5 to 10
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
