Communal tensions erupted in Yavat village, located in Daund tehsil of Pune district, following an allegedly objectionable WhatsApp post shared by a youth from outside the community earlier this week. The post quickly spread online, resulting in violence: stone pelting, motorcycle arson, and targeted damage to a local religious structure. Police had to deploy tear gas to disperse the mob and imposed Section 144 to prevent further escalation of unrest.

In response to the situation, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis made a public appeal for peace, urging residents not to take the law into their own hands and warning of strict police action against violators. He confirmed that the situation is now under control and stressed that people from both communities are engaging in dialogue to calm tensions.

According to local reports, the incident stemmed from a post made by an outsider, which caused villagers to react swiftly. Authorities responded with crowd control measures including a lathi charge, and the unrest subsided soon after. The CM also noted that in similar incidents, doctored videos have surfaced later, and those responsible for spreading misinformation will be held accountable.

One affected local, bakery owner Swapnil Adinath Kadam, said that his shop was vandalized and set on fire after it was wrongly rumoured to be owned by Muslims. He clarified that his workers were Muslims from UP but had no involvement in the social media post that triggered the incident.

Officials are currently investigating both the origin of the post and related video clips, tracking those responsible and attempting to restore social harmony.