A shopkeeper was assaulted by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers in Mira Road, Mumbai, for asking them why speaking in Marathi should be compulsory.
The incident was captured on video and went viral on social media, drawing widespread criticism.
In the video, three men are seen walking into a sweets shop and confronting the shopkeeper, Babulal Khimji Chaudhary (48), about not using the Marathi language. When asked why he didn’t speak Marathi, the shopkeeper replied, “I didn’t know Marathi was compulsory. Someone will have to teach me.” One of the men responded with a threat, asking, “Maar khayega?” (Do you want to get beaten?), which led to a heated argument.
The MNS workers then asked the shopkeeper what state he was working in. When he replied “Maharashtra,” they questioned what language is spoken there. The shopkeeper replied, “All languages are spoken here.”
As per NDTV, one of the MNS worker even claimed that the shopkeeper had come to MNS office for help earlier. "You asked me why you should speak in Marathi. What does that mean? When you had trouble, you had come to the MNS office," he said.
Moments later, the situation turned violent. Two of the men began slapping the shopkeeper repeatedly. One of them hit him several times, including with the back of his hand, while the shopkeeper tried to defend himself. Another man in the group shouted abuses and warned the shopkeeper that he wouldn’t be allowed to run his business in the area if he didn’t speak Marathi.
Following the assault, the Kashimira Police registered a First Information Report (FIR) against seven MNS workers under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including charges related to spreading social unrest. The police have launched an investigation into the incident, India Today reported.
Santosh Rane, the MNS district president for Mira-Bhayander, defended the actions of the party workers. He said, “If anyone insults the Marathi language, MNS will respond like this. In Maharashtra, only Marathi is allowed. Even if you are Gujarati or Marwari, you must follow Marathi culture,” India Today quoted Rane as saying.
Rane further claimed that the argument started because the shopkeeper had misbehaved with MNS workers who were celebrating the state government's decision to cancel earlier resolutions related to the three-language policy in schools.
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