Seven workers of the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) were briefly detained and later released after allegedly assaulting a shopkeeper in Mumbai’s Mira Road area for not speaking Marathi.
According to a PTI report, the seven were let off after being served notices under bailable sections, despite video evidence showing them slapping and threatening the shopkeeper, 48-year-old Babulal Chaudhary, owner of Jodhpur Sweet Shop.
The altercation reportedly began when Chaudhary’s staff member, Bagharam, a native of Rajasthan, spoke to the MNS workers in Hindi. The group demanded that only Marathi be used for communication. When Chaudhary responded that “all languages are spoken in Maharashtra,” the situation escalated into violence.
The attackers, undeterred, filmed the assault themselves and circulated the video on social media, which quickly went viral and sparked backlash across political and civic circles.
Despite clear video footage, it took two days for the police to register a case, and another day to summon the accused. Police sources told reporters that the charges filed attract a punishment of less than seven years, which makes the offences bailable, and hence formal arrests were not made.
The accused were detained, their statements recorded, and they were released on bonds.
Maharashtra Minister Nitesh Rane initially claimed the attackers had been arrested, but later clarified that they were only detained. “Marathi should be spoken. No compromises… but nobody should take the law into their hands,” Rane said, in a statement that drew mixed reactions.
He also made a controversial remark on the issue: “If they have the courage, go to Null Bazaar or Mohammed Ali Road and tell people there to speak Marathi; it's a Hindu govt, we will not tolerate this.”
Rather than condemn the attack, MNS Mumbai unit chief Sandeep Deshpande defended the party workers.
“The shopkeeper insulted Marathi. If there is an attempt to insult Marathi, we will respond. We won’t tolerate it,” he said.
No apology has been issued by the party. The silence from MNS president Raj Thackeray has also drawn attention, especially as the party has been vocal on the issue of “Hindi imposition” in recent months.
The incident comes at a time when language politics in Maharashtra is again under the spotlight. Both Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray have claimed credit for pushing back against what they call the “imposition of Hindi.”
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