Last Updated:
A debate in Maharashtra erupted after a viral video showed a shop owner attacked in Mumbai’s Mira Road for not speaking Marathi. Minister Yogesh Kadam emphasised enforcing laws.
State Minister Yogesh Kadam and a screengrab of the viral video in which MNS workers slap food vendor for refusing to speak in Marathi. (ANI/X)
A heated debate has erupted in Maharashtra following a viral video that showed a shop owner being attacked in Mumbai’s Mira Road for purportedly declining to converse in Marathi, sparking tensions over language and politics.
State Minister Yogesh Kadam also reacted to the incident, saying that in Maharashtra, people have to speak Marathi, and if anyone disrespects the language, laws will be enforced against them.
“In Maharashtra, you have to speak Marathi. If you don’t know Marathi, your attitude shouldn’t be that you won’t speak Marathi… If anyone disrespects Marathi in Maharashtra, we will enforce our laws,” he said.
He further added that instead of resorting to violence, those who were upset with the shop owner should have lodged a complaint, and the authorities would have taken necessary action.
The incident stems from a group of men, suspected to be members of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), allegedly thrashing Babulal Khimji Chaudhary (48), the owner of a sweet shop in Mira Road, after his staff responded to them in Hindi. The Tuesday incident was caught on camera and quickly went viral on social media.
At around 10:30 am, Chaudhary told the police that the men, wearing clothes with MNS insignia, entered his shop and asked for water. When his worker replied in Hindi, they objected, leading to verbal abuse. The dispute intensified when Chaudhary mentioned that his employees, being from out of state, weren’t proficient in Marathi.
The situation worsened when the men allegedly asked him which language is spoken in Maharashtra, with Chaudhary responding that all languages are spoken.
The attackers, reportedly angered by this response, assaulted him and filmed the incident. An FIR has been registered against seven unidentified men at the Kashimira police station under relevant sections of the IPC.
While justifying the altercation, an MNS representative stated that their workers were celebrating the state government’s reversal of the language policy decision and stopped by the shop to purchase water. “The owner was arrogant and said that all languages are spoken in Maharashtra. This triggered the argument,” the leader claimed.
- First Published:
