Overview

• The Instagram reel showed Atharva Sudame buying a Ganesh idol from a Muslim artisan and stressing that good intent matters, presenting a message of Hindu–Muslim harmony.
• A Facebook post by the page Jaysing Mohan denounced him and warned of lifelong consequences, after which criticism and threats grew as copies of the deleted clip kept circulating and users reported unfollowing him.
• Sudame took down the video within hours and issued a public apology, saying he never meant to hurt sentiments and noting his frequent focus on Hindu festivals and Marathi culture.
• The Akhil Bharatiya Brahman Mahasangh, led by Anand Dave, objected to the reel, while NCP leader Rohit Pawar, MANS’s Hamid Dabholkar, academic Apoorvanand and activist Asim Sarode defended the harmony message and urged restraint.
• Maharashtra cultural affairs minister Ashish Shelar rejected calls to avoid Muslim idol-makers and reaffirmed a constitutional stance against discrimination, with no formal legal action reported.