The controversy surrounding the white pathway created for Jain monks and nuns in a housing society in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar area has taken a new turn. Beef enthusiast and Social media influencer Prasad Vedpathak, who had sparked the row by objecting to the pathway and describing it as “Jain Jihad”, is now playing the victim card and claiming that he is being targeted, harassed and threatened in the aftermath of the controversy.
Vedpathak recently shared a video on social media in which he said that efforts are being made to file false cases against him and that his life is in danger. The claims come days after his remarks against the Jain community drew widespread criticism from social media users, religious leaders and residents who accused him of deliberately communalising a harmless religious practice.
Beef enthusiast and Dhruv Rathee fan now plays victim card
After weeks of attacking the Jain community over the pathway issue, Vedpathak has now presented himself as the victim in the controversy.
In the video, he claimed that his life changed completely after the incident. According to him, the controversy began on 4th June, after which several developments took place in quick succession. “After the White Pathway incident in our society, my entire life has changed,” Vedpathak said.
Just few minutes ago uploaded video of Ved asking forgiveness for the controversy that he has done just for his personal agenda from Jains.
— Jago🇦🇹Jain🇦🇹Jago (@devgurudharma) June 17, 2026
Karma hits back👍🏻 pic.twitter.com/5aqzhLayi1
He said that local political leaders had demanded action against him and that he had been facing pressure ever since. “Many people are trying to put pressure on me. I am being followed. People have come to my house. There are attempts to intimidate and threaten me. Efforts are also being made to file false cases against me and trap me in legal trouble,” he claimed.
Vedpathak further said that the entire system appeared to have been turned against him because he had raised his voice on the issue. “They tried to suppress us, and when I raised my voice against it, I am now being harassed from all sides,” he said.
Appealing to the Maharashtra Chief Minister, he asked for an investigation into the matter and claimed that he had never done anything wrong in his life. “If I am arrested, everything will be destroyed. I am the one who runs my household. I have never done anything wrong in my life,” he said.
Throughout the video, Vedpathak portrayed himself as someone being targeted for speaking up, while insisting that false complaints and FIRs were being prepared against him.
How the controversy began
The controversy began earlier this month when Vedpathak posted videos objecting to a white-coated pathway created inside a housing society in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar area.
Without attempting to understand the religious context behind the practice, he labelled it “Jain Jihad”, a provocative phrase that immediately triggered outrage among members of the Jain community and many others online.
The pathway had been created for the convenience of Jain monks and nuns, whose religious practices require them to walk barefoot and avoid harming even the smallest living organisms.
Understanding the Jain tradition behind the white pathway
For Jain monks, the principle of ahimsa, or non-violence, is central to their way of life. During the monsoon season, pathways often develop algae and other forms of microscopic life.
According to Jain philosophy, these organisms are living beings and should not be harmed unnecessarily. To avoid accidentally stepping on and killing them, housing societies sometimes apply a temporary white coating, or whitewash, to pathways used by Jain monks.
The coating serves two purposes. During summer, it helps keep the surface cooler for barefoot monks. During the monsoon, it reduces algae growth and makes it easier for monks to continue their religious practice of travelling to seek gochari, the traditional practice of obtaining food from households.
Despite repeated explanations from Jain community members and social media users, Vedpathak continued portraying the pathway as a symbol of religious assertion and claimed that Jains were imposing themselves on others.
As criticism mounted, Vedpathak later attempted to soften his position by claiming that he respected Jainism and admired its principles of non-violence and compassion. However, he continued suggesting that the pathway represented a form of religious assertion.
