Pune Student Arrested for Pro-Pakistan Instagram Post; ATS, NIA Join Investigation

The Pune city police, along with the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), the National Investigation Agency (NIA), and other intelligence agencies, have launched a joint investigation after a 19-year-old student was arrested for posting a comment on Instagram ending with “Pakistan Zindabad.”

The student, identified as Khadeeja Shaikh, a resident of Kondhwa and a student at Sinhgad Academy of Engineering, was immediately rusticated by the institute on Friday following the registration of an FIR. College Principal Dr. Kishor Patil confirmed the action, citing that while the institution values the right to free expression, it expects students to exercise this right within legal and ethical boundaries.

In a formal rustication letter issued to Shaikh, the college stated: “While this Institution recognizes the right to free expression, it also expects students to exercise such rights responsibly and within the bounds of the law. Your posts, which were made from a publicly identifiable account linked to you, have been deemed to undermine the reputation of the college and may incite disharmony within the campus community and society.”

Senior Police Inspector Vinay Patankar said the court has remanded Shaikh in police custody for five days to facilitate further investigation.

According to police sources, ATS and NIA officials questioned Shaikh to determine whether she had been radicalized or maintained connections with any extremist groups. While a detailed scrutiny of her social media activity and affiliations revealed no such links, the investigation remains ongoing.

As per the FIR registered at the Kondhwa police station, while monitoring online activity in the wake of recent Indian military operations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, authorities came across an objectionable post allegedly made by Shaikh around 2 pm on May 9.

The FIR details the Instagram post, which read: “Without a single shred of evidence of Pak’s involvement at Pahalgam, the fascist Indian regime has just initiated war between 2 nuclear states by bombing 3 major civilian areas in Pakistan. This Hindutva – terrorism is right out of the Israeli playbook. India has been vehemently scapegoating Pak for its own failure in occupied Kashmir due to India’s colonisation of the region. This fanatic Islamophobic terrorism that India has displayed is grotesque. May sense, justice & humanity prevail. War serves no one. Pakistan Zindabad.”

Based on this, Shaikh has been booked under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) including:

• Section 152: Acts endangering the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India
• Section 196: Promoting enmity between different groups
• Section 197: Imputations or assertions prejudicial to national integration
• Section 299: Deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings
• Section 352: Intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of peace
• Section 353: Statements causing public mischief

Police have stated that the investigation is underway, and further inquiries are being made into the student’s background and associations.