Tourists, Including an Eight-Year-Old Girl Assaulted at Sinhagad Fort in Pune over "Inappropriate Clothing"

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SEVERAL TOURISTS were reportedly assaulted and harassed by Samast Hindu Group at Sinhagad Fort, Pune. This violent incident occurred when a group of tourists were normally travelling, but what caught the attacking group’s attention was an eight-year-old girl who wore shorts. They confronted the family and also targeted an eight-year-old. The police have registered a case against the eight people involved in the assault, who had initially referred to themselves as the members of 'fort conservation society.'

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The ‘Cultural Protectors’ Harassed Tourists For Their Inappropriate Dressing

 The police report claims that the confrontations took place for three hours on Sunday, August 16, 2026, when a group of tourists were called out from the Samast Hindu Group for wearing “inappropriate clothes.” Near the memorial of Tanji Malusare, eight people approached a family of a husband-wife, with their son, nephew and a friend who were taking a moment of sightseeing around it. The group questioned and told them not to take photographs on the site, but the exchange turned into a confrontation. The husband and his wife were being pushed. The matter even got much worse when the group accused objected to an eight-year-old daughter of wearing Bermuda shorts. Slowly things escalated quickly and the man who was accusing slapped a male and started mending with family members.

There were other people who were also confronted and assaulted by the same group. Video footage of the confrontation went viral on social media. Reports came in that explained their motive behind restricting and harassing tourists. Objecting over Western-clothing, that included shorts and sleeveless outfits, the accused justified that it was against the cultural norms followed around the fort.

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Case Filed Against The Eight Assaulters 

Haveli police station, Pune, acted promptly to the news of assaults and clashes in the fort. The accused was brought to the station, and victims identified the people who assaulted them, which eventually led to a formal case against eight people. The charges include assault, unlawful grouping, rioting and criminal intimidation. The group consisted of five men and three women, their names were Sanket Sanjay Patil, Ashish Dilip Apar, Revan Narayan Kokte, Sayali Sujit Chavan, Ketaki Suraj Jadhav, Amar Ramchandra Shirke, Kunal Kisan Nalawade and Arya Praveen Kawade.

Rajesh Ramgore, a senior officer in the Haveli Police addressed the matter publicly. The reports also say that he assured that strict action will be taken against the ones who assaulted the tourists at the Sinhagad Fort. Statements are being gathered from the tourists who were present at the time of the incident. Investigators are on it. This is not the first time that forts in Maharashtra have seen this kind of violent behaviour. An incident occurred when a group of  trekkers at Visapur Fort, near Lonavla, Pune were beaten by a group for ‘loitering and disrespecting the site.’ Such cases do question the handling of the situations and how things can escalate quickly.

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