Maharashtra language row: How spat over Marathi spilled on to the streets

The Raj Thackeray-led MNS posted a video of the detention on social media. Security has been heightened across the Mira Bhayander area in response to the rally.

Ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election, Maharashtra is witnessing a renewed debate around the primacy of Marathi versus Hindi in public life.

On Tuesday, the protests spilled on to the streets with several workers of Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), including Avinash Jadhav, detained ahead of a rally to counter a protest march by traders from across the state over the assault of a food stall owner for not speaking Marathi.

The linguistic debate continues days after the state government withdrew two orders introducing Hindi as the third language in primary education across Marathi and English medium State Board schools.

What does Maharashtra government say?

Speaking to reporters, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the MNS should have coordinated with the authorities about the rally route rather than insisting on a path that posed serious traffic concerns. “Maharashtra is a democratic state. If anyone wants to take out a morcha, they must take permission. The route is decided by police for reasons like crowd control and traffic management. I was informed that they were asked to take an alternate route, but they were adamant. Hence, the rally was not permitted,” the CM said.

Fadnavis also stressed that he understands the essence of Maharashtra. “Marathi people are large-hearted. We are not narrow-minded. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj always stood united with the people of the nation. These experiments won’t work here,” said the CM.

Fadnavis also distanced himself from BJP MP Nishikant Dubey’s inflammatory remarks on the language controversy in the state, calling them “inappropriate” and cautioning against creating confusion among communities.

What did Nishikant Dubey say?

Dubey, Lok Sabha MP from Godda in Jharkhand, made the remark in response to Raj Thackeray’s statement urging party workers to "hit below the eardrum" those who refuse to speak Marathi in Mumbai - but not to record videos of such assaults.

“To those beating Hindi speakers in Mumbai, if you have the courage, try beating Urdu speakers in Maharashtra. Even a dog is a tiger in its own home. Decide for yourself who is the dog and who is the tiger… Tumko patak patak ke maarenge” (You will be thrashed badly, again and again),” said Dubey on X while indirectly challenging Raj Thackeray and daring him to confront Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, and Telugu speakers beyond Maharashtra.

How did Marathi language row start?

A dispute over a mobile phone recharge in Thane turned into a full-blown Marathi versus non-Marathi row. The incident followed days after some MNS supporters assaulted a shopkeeper for refusing to speak Marathi.

On July 1, a 43-year-old man named Kiran Tanaji Sawant went to a local shop in Thane to get his mobile phone recharged. Due to a technical issue, the recharge didn’t go through. The shop staff claimed that Sawant lost his temper and began creating chaos. This led to a fight between him and four to five staff members. Sawant reportedly suffered injuries in the scuffle.

Sawant then approached the police and filed a complaint. The matter was also reported at the office of former Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Rajan Vichare. A video that has now gone viral shows Vichare hearing the matter from the shop staff. At one point, one of his aides stops a staff member from speaking and says, "Marathi mein bol, Marathi ko mara na? Marathi mein bol."

The video then shows Kiran Sawant. One by one, those accused of assaulting him approach him and apologise with folded hands. They touch his feet. He responds by slapping them across the face. The accused were also asked to hold their ears, look at the camera and say that they have made a mistake.

The video has sparked massive outrage. While some politicians in the state stressed that those living in Maharashtra must respect and learn the local language, others argued that no one can be forced to speak a language.