Written by Soham ShahPune | Updated: December 26, 2025 08:56 PM IST 3 min readDhruv Ruparel, president of the Petrol Dealers Association of Pune, told The Indian Express that petrol companies direct petrol pumps to celebrate festivals and it is a regular practice.A petrol pump owner in Pune’s Bhavani Peth area was threatened by members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal over his employees donning Christmas hats on December 23.Kavya Ladkat, owner of the HPCL petrol pump in Bhavani Peth, registered a complaint at the Khadak police station, where a non-cognizable offence under Section 315(2) (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita was registered against one Vijay Kamble. The incident comes in the wake of multiple attacks and acts of vandalisms against Christmas decorations and celebrations across cities.Speaking to The Indian Express, Ladkat said her manager got a call on Tuesday, demanding that the Christmas caps worn by their employees were not acceptable and should be removed as soon as possible. “Then the man came with two to three men and started threatening me. They said ‘only Hindu dharm should be followed and these hats should be removed’ and ‘you should stay within the law’. After I started recording a video, he backed off,” she said.“He told me that if we have put caps on Christmas, then we must also put phetas on padva (New Year). I told him, ‘Okay, we will wear phetas (on New Year) and skullcaps on Eid. I was speaking about humanity. Then, I called the police for protection and filed a complaint to prevent any such thing from happening in the future. The police did not file an FIR but only a non-recognisable offence,” added Ladkat.A video of the incident shared by Ladkat shows a group of men saying, “Here we are trying to prevent religious conversion and here you are…” and “Look at what happened in Bangladesh”.Shashikant Chavan, inspector at Khadak police station said, “We have registered a non-cognizable offence and taken preventive action.”Kamble, who said he is the ward minister of VHP, denied threatening the pump owner. “We got a complaint from employees that they were being forced to wear Christmas hats so we went there to speak about it. We were not able to say anything and the lady there started recording us.”Story continues below this adDhruv Ruparel, president of the Petrol Dealers Association of Pune, told The Indian Express that petrol companies direct petrol pumps to celebrate festivals and it is a regular practice. “The petrol pumps celebrate all festivals throughout the year. The decoration is done as per the festival and there is nothing special in this. The law enforcement authorities know best what to do and if they (persons) are found to be guilty, then action should be taken, ” he said.Soham Shah is a Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Pune. A journalism graduate with a background in fact-checking, he brings a meticulous and research-oriented approach to his current reporting. Professional Background Role: Correspondent coverig education and city affairs in Pune. Specialization: His primary beat is education, but he also maintains a strong focus on civic issues, public health, human rights, and state politics. Key Strength: Soham focuses on data-driven reporting on school and college education, government reports, and public infrastructure. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) His late 2025 work highlights a transition from education-centric reporting to hard-hitting investigative and human-rights stories: 1. Investigations & Governance "Express Impact: Mother's name now a must to download birth certificate from PMC site" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on a significant policy change by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) following his earlier reports on gender inclusivity in administrative documents. "44-Acre Mahar Land Controversy: In June, Pune official sought land eviction at Pawar son firm behest" (Nov 9, 2025): An investigative piece on real estate irregularities involving high-profile political families. 2. Education & Campus Life Faculty crisis at SPPU hits research, admin work: 62% of govt-sanctioned posts vacant, over 75% in many depts (Sept 12, 2025): An investigative piece on professor vacancies at Savitribai Phule Pune University. "Maharashtra’s controversial third language policy: Why National Curriculum Framework recommends a third language from Class 6" (July 2): This detailed piece unpacks reasons behind why the state's move to introduce a third language from class 1 was controversial. "Decline in number of schools, teachers in Maharashtra but student enrolment up: Report" (Jan 2025): Analyzing discrepancies in the state's education data despite rising student numbers. 3. Human Rights & Social Issues "Aanchal Mamidawar was brave after her family killed her boyfriend" (Dec 17, 2025): A deeply personal and hard-hitting opinion piece/column on the "crime of love" and honor killings in modern India. "'People disrespect the disabled': Meet the man who has become face of racist attacks on Indians" (Nov 29, 2025): A profile of a Pune resident with severe physical deformities who became the target of global online harassment, highlighting issues of disability and cyber-bullying. Signature Style Soham is known for his civil-liberties lens. His reporting frequently champions the rights of the marginalized—whether it's students fighting for campus democracy, victims of regressive social practices, or residents struggling with crumbling urban infrastructure (as seen in his "Breathless Pune" contributions). He is adept at linking hyper-local Pune issues to larger national conversations about law and liberty. X (Twitter): @SohamShah07 ... Read MoreClick here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Bajrang DalVHP