On the night of 10 September 2023, a mob attacked Muslim-owned shops, homes and a mosque in Pusesavali village in Maharashtra's Satara district, after screenshots of allegedly derogatory Instagram comments spread online. Nurul Hasan Shikalgar, a 32-year-old engineer praying in the mosque, was killed and about 10 others were injured, police said. Mobile internet was cut across the district for over three days. A chargesheet was filed in December 2023, and the state later told the Bombay High Court there was no evidence linking BJP leader Vikram Pawaskar to the attack.
Key takeaways
- Nurul Hasan Shikalgar, 32, a civil engineer praying in the mosque, was killed. Police put the injured at 10; other counts range up to 20.
- Mobile internet was suspended across Satara district from 11 to 14 September 2023.
- The men accused of the posts say the screenshots were edited; police said in 2023 they had found no sign their phones were compromised.
- 63 people had been arrested and chargesheeted by March 2024. In 2025 the state told the Bombay High Court there was no evidence linking BJP leader Vikram Pawaskar to the attack.
Background: a month of disputed posts
Pusesavali, 45 to 60 km from Satara city, has about 1,300 families, under 10% of them Muslim The Wire.
On 15 August 2023, an offensive post about Shivaji appeared on a 14-year-old Muslim boy's Instagram account in Satara city, and he was briefly sent to a juvenile home. Police later found a 21-year-old man from Koregaon had hacked the account, and arrested him Scroll.
On 18 August, screenshots of an abusive comment about Hindu deities, attributed to a young Muslim man from Pusesavali, spread on WhatsApp. He spent 13 days in custody, though an investigating officer said police could not find the comment on Instagram. A protest rally followed the next day Scroll. Muslim residents say it included calls to boycott Muslims Maktoob.
Muslim residents then wrote to police that they feared for their lives. A senior officer confirmed the letter but called it "a generic statement" The Wire.
The 10 September posts and the police account
On 10 September, screenshots of two more Instagram comments began to circulate. Attributed to two 23-year-old men from the village, they targeted Shivaji and Hindu deities Scroll. On 11 September, a police official told PTI: "An objectionable post by some youth from a community triggered tension between two communities" PTI via Tribune.
- Claim · Accused and families Both men deny posting the comments and say the screenshots were edited PARI.
- Claim · Police Deputy SP Ashwini Shendage said the cyber cell was investigating. A senior officer said: "So far, we have found no evidence that their mobile phones were compromised. It seems the post came from their account" Scroll.
- Documented In March 2024, PARI reported that police were still checking whether the three Pusesavali screenshots were genuine and were waiting for a reply from Meta PARI.
The attack on the mosque
Police said the clashes began around 9.30 pm Sabrang, citing Indian Express. A fact-finding team from the Centre for the Study of Society and Secularism (CSSS) put the crowd at 200 to 250, gathering at Datta Chowk. It said shops and a smaller mosque were attacked on the way, and seven or eight vehicles were burned outside the Jama Masjid CSSS via Sabrang.
A relative of Shikalgar told PTI that the 10 to 15 people inside shut the door, but the crowd broke it open and attacked them with rods and tiles PTI via Deccan Herald.
Survivors told CSSS that only five or six police were present until reinforcements came around 10.45 pm CSSS via Sabrang. Sarkarnama reported police reached about an hour after the attack began Sarkarnama. A senior officer said police "dispersed the crowd and shifted the injured to the hospital" Scroll.
The death and the injured
Nurul Hasan Liyaqat Shikalgar, a civil engineer, was his parents' only child; his wife was pregnant PTI via Deccan Herald The Quint. He was struck on the head and died. WhatsApp rumours linked him to the posts. A senior officer told The Wire: "We looked into things and can confirm he just became a victim of mob violence" The Wire.
Casualty figures differ:
- Police, via PTI: one dead and 10 injured PTI via Business Standard.
- Sarkarnama: 11 seriously injured, treated at Krishna hospital in Karad Sarkarnama.
- Senior officer to Scroll: 20 injured Scroll.
- Citizens' memorandum to the collector, 11 September: Claim · Memorandum two killed and 10 seriously injured Sabrang. No police or news report confirmed a second death.
Community members estimated to PARI that 29 Muslim families lost about Rs 30 lakh PARI.
Section 144 and the internet shutdown
The administration imposed Section 144 and suspended mobile internet across the district Punekar News. Collector Jitendra Dudi and SP Sameer Shaikh appealed to residents "not to believe in any rumours" Maktoob. The Wire reported that the internet came back on 14 September, after more than 72 hours The Wire.
On 12 September, police persuaded some organisations not to hold a silent march in Satara city because Section 144 was in force PTI via Deccan Herald. Shikalgar's family and local Muslims refused to take his body until the attackers were arrested The Wire. National Herald described a six-hour standoff with police National Herald. No district bandh was reported in the sources reviewed.
Arrests, FIRs and charges
Police registered three cases: over the posts (under Section 295A), over the attack on the mosque, and over attacks on police The Quint PTI via Deccan Herald. The attack case, filed on an injured man's complaint against about 200 people, invoked IPC sections including 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder) and the rioting and arson sections Sarkarnama The Quint.
- 23 arrested by 12 September (PTI), then 19 "so far" on 13 September (PTI and police to The Quint) PTI via Deccan Herald The Quint.
- Over 35 held across the three cases by 15 September The Wire, and 37 arrested for rioting by early October Scroll.
- In March 2024, investigating officer Inspector Devkar told PARI that 63 people had been arrested and chargesheeted, 34 were absconding, and 59 had received bail. He named two Hindu Ekta members as main accused PARI.
Section 120B (conspiracy) was added after a 13 September statement described an alleged meeting in Karad on 21 August. The chargesheet was filed on 18 December 2023 Sabrang.
Both accounts
Muslim residents' and rights groups' account
Residents and the CSSS fact-finding team said the attack was planned. They cited an armed crowd drawn from nearby villages. They said police ignored repeated warnings CSSS via Sabrang. Claim · Witnesses Survivors said attackers invoked the name of Vikram Pawaskar, a BJP state vice-president and leader of Hindu Ekta. A complainant told police that Pawaskar held a meeting with some of the accused before the attack PARI. AIMIM's Gaffar Quadri also raised Pawaskar's possible involvement Maktoob.
Police, state and Hindu groups' account
SP Sameer Shaikh said the post "was misunderstood by the people and it gave rise to a law and order problem" IANS. Government's position The state told the High Court it found no evidence linking Pawaskar to the attack LiveLaw. Claim · IHRC The Indian Human Rights Council said police were arresting people unconnected to the riot, alleged Pakistani numbers in a local WhatsApp group, and sought a central probe Organiser.
No evidence The claim of a Pakistani link was not confirmed by police in any source reviewed.
Political response
NCP's Supriya Sule urged people not to fall for rumours. Satara's NCP MP called the events "very sad and unfortunate" and asked for action against those spreading such messages. BJP Rajya Sabha MP Udayanraje Bhosale appealed for peace IANS.
On 14 and 15 September, a citizens' delegation met Satara's guardian minister in the Eknath Shinde government, named in reports as Shambhaji Desai. They asked for compensation for Shikalgar's family, a judicial inquiry and action against Pawaskar Sabrang. Their memorandum called for the resignation of Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis Ummid. By October the family had received no compensation, CSSS said CSSS via Sabrang. No public statement on Pusesavali by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde or by Fadnavis was found in the sources reviewed.
The Bombay High Court petition
Activist Shakir Tamboli petitioned the Bombay High Court for action against Pawaskar over two hate-speech FIRs in Sangli and his alleged role in the Pusesavali conspiracy, citing six witness statements given to a magistrate Sabrang. In February 2024 the state filed an affidavit clearing him in the Satara case The Wire.
On 1 August 2024, the prosecutor said police "could not find any material" against him in the murder case LiveLaw. On 5 March 2025, the state said the Home Department had refused sanction to prosecute him for the speeches. When the prosecutor said no other offence was made out because the speeches had no repercussions, Justice Revati Mohite-Dere said: "An offence is committed as soon as hate speech is made... you can't wait for the repercussions." The bench allowed a separate challenge to the refusal LiveLaw.
Outcome
- Deaths: One, Nurul Hasan Shikalgar, per police. A citizens' memorandum claimed two.
- Arrests: 19 to 23 in the first days, 63 chargesheeted by March 2024, with 59 on bail and 34 absconding.
- Pawaskar: Not made an accused in the murder case. Sanction to prosecute him for hate speech was refused in 2025.
What is still pending
As of October 2026, no verdict in the murder and rioting trial had been reported in the sources reviewed, and the outcome of any challenge to the refusal of sanction was not found. The screenshot investigation was still open in 2024. No judicial inquiry was announced.
Questions people ask
Who was Nurul Hasan Shikalgar?
He was a 32-year-old civil engineer from Pusesavali, his parents' only child, who was praying in the mosque when it was attacked. A senior police officer said he had no role in any social media post.
Were the social media posts real?
It is disputed. The accused say the screenshots were edited. Police said in 2023 they found no sign the phones were compromised, and in 2024 were still awaiting data from Meta.
How long was the internet shut in Satara?
Mobile internet was suspended across the district from 11 to 14 September 2023, more than 72 hours.
How many people were arrested?
19 to 23 in the first days. By March 2024, 63 had been arrested and chargesheeted, per the investigating officer.
Was BJP leader Vikram Pawaskar charged?
No. Witnesses and a petitioner alleged he conspired in the attack. The state told the Bombay High Court there was no evidence linking him to it, and in 2025 it refused sanction to prosecute him for two hate speeches.
Sources
- PTI via Tribune: Clash between 2 groups in Maharashtra's Satara over social media post, 12 Sept 2023
- IANS: Satara tense after group clashes following offensive social media posts, 11 Sept 2023
- Punekar News: Internet suspended after communal clashes in Satara, 11 Sept 2023
- Sarkarnama (Marathi): One dead, 11 serious in Pusesavali riots; case against 200, 11 Sept 2023
- Sabrang: One dead, over 8 injured after violence over alleged social media post, 12 Sept 2023
- Maktoob: Satara Muslim man killed after violence over social media post, 12 Sept 2023
- PTI via Deccan Herald: Situation under control in Pusesawali; Internet remains shut, 12 Sept 2023
- PTI via Deccan Herald: Victim of communal violence in Satara was only child of his parents, 13 Sept 2023
- PTI via Business Standard: Police vigil continues in violence-hit Satara village, 13 Sept 2023
- The Quint: Satara riots victim leaves behind pregnant wife, parents, debt, 13 Sept 2023
- National Herald: Sole bread earner and lone son loses his life in Pusesavali riot, 13 Sept 2023
- The Wire: Police say peace has been restored in Satara, but Muslim community still in fear, 15 Sept 2023
- Sabrang: Satara citizens seek compensation and judicial inquiry, 15 Sept 2023
- Ummid: Satara mosque attack, government urged to compensate family, 16 Sept 2023
- Scroll: A Muslim teenager's Instagram account was hacked weeks before Satara erupted in violence, 3 Oct 2023
- Organiser: Police probe into Pusesavali riots misleading, says Indian Human Rights Council, 7 Oct 2023
- Maktoob: In Satara, Muslims unable to reopen livelihoods amid boycott calls, 10 Oct 2023
- Sabrang: CSSS fact-finding report on Pusesavali, 27 Oct 2023
- Sabrang: Bombay HC asks why no action against Vikram Pawaskar, 24 Jan 2024
- The Wire: Despite hate speeches, role in violence, Vikram Pawaskar goes scot-free, 10 Feb 2024
- PARI: In Pusesavali, doctored images destroyed lives, 27 Mar 2024
- LiveLaw: Bombay High Court grants 4 weeks to obtain sanction to prosecute Vikram Pawaskar, 1 Aug 2024
- LiveLaw: Maharashtra government has denied sanction to prosecute Vikram Pawaskar, 5 Mar 2025