'Fake' caste certificate row: AIMIM corporator Sahar Sheikh’s father denies charges, calls it ‘political stunt’

THANE: The father of AIMIM corporator Sahar Sheikh — against whom the Thane tehsildar has recommended filing of a criminal case over an alleged fake caste certificate — refuted all allegations on Friday, dismissing the controversy as a politically motivated stunt.

Yunus Sheikh, who appeared at Mumbra Police Station after reportedly being unreachable for two days, spoke to the media following a brief 15-20-minute interaction with police. He said all accusations were false and promised a strong reply backed by authentic documents within two days.

He claimed his daughter was being targeted due to her growing political stature and called the tehsildar's finding merely a report and not a court order, adding the controversy was only boosting their popularity.

When questioned about Sahar attending the IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings at Wankhede Stadium on April 16 — amid reports of her being unreachable — Yunus was unapologetic. "What is wrong if she went to watch a match?" he said. Her Instagram videos from the match drew sharp public criticism.

The controversy stems from a complaint by Siddiqui Ahmed, alleging Sahar contested elections using an alleged fake caste certificate and that the family had misled authorities about their domicile. Staff at her Mumbra office refused to comment.

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