Pune, July 30, 2025:
A troubling incident occurred in Pune’s Chandan Nagar area when the family of Hakimuddin Shaikh, a retired Kargil War veteran, faced aggressive questioning from a group of police and unidentified men just before midnight on July 26. The group demanded proof of Indian citizenship, threatening to label the family as Rohingya or Bangladeshi if they did not comply.
Shaikh, 58, served in the Indian Army’s 269 Engineer Regiment from 1984 to 2000 and fought in the Kargil conflict. Reports indicate that 30 to 40 individuals knocked on doors, shouted slogans, and insisted on seeing documents. The family claims that even valid Aadhaar cards were dismissed as fake.
Some male members of the family were taken to the police station and told to wait until 3 a.m. by the officers. “Why are we being asked to prove our identity now?” Shaikh’s brother asked, pointing out that the family has lived in Pune since the 1960s. Other veterans in the household include Shaikh Naeemuddin and Shaikh Mohammad Salim, who served in the 1965 and 1971 wars.
Officials later stated that the action was based on a tip-off about suspected illegal migration. DCP Somay Munde noted that documents were requested and, after confirming that the family was indeed Indian, they were released. He added that the police team was not accompanied by any outsiders and that video footage of the incident exists. An inquiry is currently in progress.
Veterans’ groups and social media activists have strongly criticized the incident, calling it deeply disrespectful to a family that has sacrificed so much for the nation.