In the latest development in the brutal murder case of the Hindu man Shivkumar Sharma in Kharghar, the police have nabbed one of the two accused Rehan Shaikh while the other, identified as Faizan Shaikh is still absconding. Both accused are residents of Nagpada and Agripada respectively. They were traced to BKC wherein the police managed to nab Rehan and Faizan managed to give a skip. As per reports, both the accused worked as delivery boys. The arrested accused Rehan Shaikh was the pilion rider and Faizan Shaikh who hit Shivkumar Sharma, is still at large.
On February 2nd, the city of Mumbai in the state of Maharashtra was blown up after it witnessed the gruesome murder of an IT professional named Shivkumar Sharma. The two accused- Rehan Shaikh and Faizan Shaikh, both in their 20s, stopped the victim’s bike in the middle of the streets of Kharghar and bashed the head of Sharma with his helmet, eventually resulting in his death.
According to media reports, the incident is that of road rage where an altercation over an over-taking led to Sharma’s brutal murder. However, Vishwa Hindu Parishad alleged that Sharma was attacked for his Hindu identity.
It is being said that the two individuals who hit Sharma (45) to death on Sunday, 2nd February in Utsav Chowk were returning from the religious event of the Tablighi Jamaat called Ijtema and that they were associated with the Tablighi Jamaat.
Ijtema, a mass annual gathering of the Tablighi Jamaat, was organised as a three-day event in Kharghar. February 2nd, when the brutal murder happened was the last day of the event. Lakhs of Muslims had participated in the event.
Notably, Tablighi Jamaat was banned by Saudi Arabia in 2021, which called the Islamic organisation the ‘gate to terror’.
OpIndia managed to access an FIR copy of the incident, in which it has been mentioned that the unidentified accused persons argued with the victim over the bike overtaking issue amid the Mumbai traffic. As a result of this, the accused persons threatened the victim to death and within a few minutes grabbed his helmet and banged on his head several times.
Despite the injuries, Shivkumar went to the police station to file a complaint against the assailants. He collapsed there due to internal head injuries and was declared dead when police rushed him to the hospital.
The accused persons have been booked under section 103(1), 351(3), and 3(5) of the BNS Act, 2023. The Mumbai police have also accessed the CCTV footage of the incident and gathered photographs of the persons accused who are absconding at present. The authorities are making all the efforts to identify and nab the accused persons. The police are also trying to get the specific details of the blurred images of their vehicle’s registration number which can help the authorities in tracing the details of the accused persons.
Lord Shiva tattoo, Rudraksha mala: VHP says Shivkumar Sharma targeted for donning his Hindu identity
A week has passed since Shivkumar Sharma was mercilessly killed. After the attackers mercilessly killed the Hindu man, allegations surfaced that he was targeted for his Hindu identity. On the 10th of February, members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Sakal Hindu Samaj organised a protest demanding justice for Sharma and also to pay tribute to him.
The VHP members stated that Sharma was deliberately targeted by the accused persons who had allegedly arrived from Ijtema for owning a Hindu identity.
As per members of the Hindu organisation, the Tablighi Jamaat members, who stopped Sharma’s bike over the overtaking dispute, noticed his Lord Shiva tattoo and the Rudraksha mala around his neck. Additionally, his bike displayed a “Jai Mata Di” sticker. These religious symbols, as per VHP, provoked the Tablighi Jamaat members, resulting in the brutal assault on Sharma.
#WATCH | Kharghar: 45 Year-Old IT Professional Killed In Road Rage After Accused Hit Him With Helmet Due To Overtaking#kharghar #mumbai #navimumbai @Raina_Assainar pic.twitter.com/KGWNJOyMU5
— Free Press Journal (@fpjindia) February 3, 2025
While talking to the media, the VHP members also stated that the accused persons were influenced by the provocative speeches delivered at Ijtema (congregation of Muslims) that were conducted in Kharghar on the same day attracting more than lakh Islamists. As per the reports, Maulana Saad, a controversial leader of the Tablighi Jamaat addressed the Ijtema event on 2nd February in Kharghar where only around 50,000 addresses were expected. However, more than a lakh Islamists attended the event in which Maulana Saad allegedly delivered provocative speeches against Hindus. “Influenced by the speeches, the accused targeted Sharma over a minor road rage issue,” the VHP members said.
A 45-year-old IT professional Shivkumar Sharma, was beaten to death with a helmet in an alleged road-rage on Feb 2nd by members of the Tablighi Jamaat who were returning from an Ijtema in Maharashtra's Kharghar.
— Megh Updates 🚨™ (@MeghUpdates) February 9, 2025
BJP leaders including Nitesh Rane and Kirti raise issue of illegal… pic.twitter.com/AtFJmsMNjp
BJP leader Nitesh Rane raises concern over the brutal murder of the Hindu youth, calls for complete ban on Tablighi Jamaat in Maharashtra
Following the widespread attention on the brutal murder, BJP leader Nitesh Rane addressed a letter to Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde, highlighting concerns over the growing presence of illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya immigrants in the state. He urged authorities to identify and investigate any illegal immigrants who may have been involved in the attack. Additionally, Rane called for a complete ban on the Tablighi Jamaat in Maharashtra, citing its radical elements as a potential threat to communal harmony.
The BJP leader also visited the victim’s family, offering reassurance that justice would be delivered.
“This is not Pakistan. Whatever has happened is very disheartening. The state government is with you. I myself have come as CM’s representative. Whatever has happened here will be informed to the Home Department and state CM who will surely order strictest action against the accused persons. You people need not worry,” Rane said adding that he has written to the CM to look into the matter.
‘Kharghar has turned into mini-Pakistan’: Family member of the victim expresses concern
Meanwhile, speaking to Rane, one of the family members of deceased Shivkumar Sharma said that they had mentioned to the police while complaining that the Kharghar area in Mumbai has turned into a Mini-Pakistan.
“Is this Bangladesh? Hindus are brutally killed in Bangladesh. Today the police have assured that the accused will be arrested in two days,” he added while talking to the media.
#WATCH | Kharghar Road Rage: Minister Nitesh Rane Interacts With Family Of Deceased Shivkumar Sharma
— Free Press Journal (@fpjindia) February 6, 2025
Video by: Farooq Sayed#Kharghar #navimumbai #NiteshRane @Raina_Assainar pic.twitter.com/gfED4eUxz3
Further, BJP’s Kirit Somaiya also met the family members of the victim and offered condolences. “Met 4 Sisters of #ShivkumarSharma who was Killed at Kharghar NaviMumbai by Muslim Fenatic Activist Police hopeful to arrest Killers soon,” he said on X.
Met 4 Sisters of #ShivkumarSharma who was Killed at Kharghar NaviMumbai by Muslim Fenatic Activist
— Kirit Somaiya (@KiritSomaiya) February 9, 2025
Police hopeful to arrest Killers soon
खारघर नवी मुंबई येथे मुस्लिम धर्मांध कार्यकर्त्यांकडून हत्या करण्यात आलेल्या शिवकुमार शर्माच्या 4 बहिणींना भेटलो.
मारेकऱ्यांना लवकरच अटक करणार pic.twitter.com/XFOVD9sW9Y
The accused returned from Ijtema cannot be denied, no justification for hitting so brutally: Victim’s relative seeks justice
While speaking to the media, Hrishikesh Dhundre, a relative of the victim, confirmed that the accused had brutally beaten the victim to death. While he could not say with certainty who the attackers were or where they came from, he acknowledged the strong possibility that they were attendees of the Ijtema.
#WATCH | Khaghar Road Rage: Krishikesh Dhundre, Brother-In-Law Of Victim Shivkumar Roshanlal Sharma Spkeas To Media
— Free Press Journal (@fpjindia) February 6, 2025
Video by: Farooq Sayed#kharghar #navimumbai @Raina_Assainar pic.twitter.com/X7DfRMoIdI
Meanwhile, OpIndia also got in touch with Dhundre. While speaking to us he reiterated that the fact that the accused persons were returning from Ijtema could not be denied. “I was in the area until the afternoon, and the entire place was overcrowded with Ijtema attendees. The number of people present was at least three to four times more than the expected capacity of 50,000,” he stated.
When asked whether he believed Shivkumar Sharma was targeted due to his religious identity, Dhundre did not explicitly confirm it but also did not dismiss the possibility.
‘Sharma was deeply religious and a devoted Krishna bhakt, this is definitely a cold-blooded murder’: The deceased’s relative speaks to OpIndia
“I cannot say this with certainty, but it is a fact that he was deeply religious and a devoted Krishna bhakt. He had a tattoo of Lord Shiva and wore a Rudraksha mala around his neck. He was a quiet, home-loving, and gentle person who would never engage in any confrontation. If you closely examine the video footage, he can be seen politely requesting his attackers to stop and talk instead, while they continue to assault him mercilessly,” the relative of the deceased said.
He further stated, “After the assault, Shivkumar Sharma went to the police station himself to file a complaint. I later learned that another eyewitness, who accompanied Sharma to the police station, confirmed that his bike was stopped at least three times by the accused. This clearly indicates that it wasn’t just a minor confrontation over overtaking. Who assaults someone so brutally over such a trivial issue? Even if there was an argument, under normal circumstances, people would approach the police—who resorts to such a ruthless attack instead?
It is evident from the video that Shivkumar did not hit or provoke anyone. One of the accused was restraining him while another repeatedly struck him on the head with a helmet, continuing the assault mercilessly, even as Sharma pleaded for a conversation. This is undoubtedly a case of cold-blooded murder. They attacked him with clear malicious intent,” Dhundre said, adding that the police have been cooperative and they remain hopeful that justice will be served.
In the given case, the Mumbai Police had launched a massive manhunt to look for the accused persons. 10 teams have been formed to nab the two unidentified men who hit Sharma to death. The incident notably happened in Kharghar on the road between Belpada and Utsav Chowk when the victim was returning from Vashi and the accused were allegedly returning from Ijtema. The police traced the toll naka timing of the accused entering Navi Mumbai and leaving the city. They have also submitted the blurred images of the bike of the accused persons obtained from the CCTV footage for lab testing to recover the bike registration number.
“We are not depending on the lab results, as even if one digit of the number goes wrong, the investigation will change its route. As of now, we are completely relying on technical analysis,” the police said.
‘Purely a case of road rage’: Police claims
The police eventually launched a massive investigation into the case and discovered the exact series of events that happened that day resulting in the death of the victim. “The victim had overtaken the accused twice which led to an argument between the two scooty-borne accused and victim Shivkumar Sharma. The argument escalated to a fight and during the fight, Sharma first kicked one of the duo, and then the accused assaulted Sharma with a helmet,” the police were quoted as saying.
“There had been no instance of mobile lynching or communal fight in this incident as it is purely a case of road rage,” the authorities added. As per the reports, the police checked the CCTV footage of the incident and discovered that the accused left Kharghar at around 10.30 pm, two hours after the incident happened that day.
A video of the incident had also gone viral over the internet. The video was captured by a passerby showing one of the accused persons holding the victim and the other one brutally beating the victim. Unfortunately, neither the evidential video nor the CCTV footage captured the registration number of the vehicle on which the accused persons arrived on the spot.
