Marathi row turns violent: 5 MNS workers held after ‘Kya Karna Hai Bol?' post leads to attack on Sushil Kedia's office; investor apologises
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena
(MNS), days after he publicly challenged party chief
Raj Thackeray
and declared he would not learn Marathi.
The attackers raised slogans in support of Thackeray and hurled stones at the office. Police have detained five MNS supporters in connection with the incident and said security had already been deployed at the site following earlier threats to Kedia.
What do we know so far-
The trigger: Kedia's post against Marathi
Sushil Kedia, a long-time resident of Mumbai and founder of an investment service firm, had posted a provocative message on social media platform X on July 3.
In it, he declared: 'I don't know Marathi properly even after living for 30 years in Mumbai & with your gross misconduct I have made it a resolve that until such people as you are allowed to pretend to be taking care of Marathi Manus I take pratigya I won't learn Marathi.
Kya karna hai bol?'
MNS reaction: 'Stay in your lane'
The post drew a sharp response from MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande, who posted on X: 'Do business if you're a businessman; don't try to act like our father.
If you insult Marathi in Maharashtra, you'll get a slap on the ear, otherwise, stay in your lane, Mehta or whoever. That's all for now.'
Attack on Saturday morning
According to police, a group of unidentified men showed up at Kedia's office near Century Bazar in Worli on Saturday morning and began vandalising the premises. They shouted pro-Marathi slogans and praised Raj Thackeray. Stones were thrown at the office, though no injuries were reported.
Five MNS supporters were later detained.
Kedia apologises after vandalism
Hours after the attack, Kedia posted a video on X apologising to Raj Thackeray. The caption read: 'I request Raj Thackeray Ji to consider my humble submission.'
Police protection and public appeal
Earlier in the week, Kedia had approached police after receiving threats online. He tagged the Mumbai Police and other authorities, writing: 'Shri @RajThackeray threatening me by 100s of your workers is not going to make me a fluent Marathi speaker...
With so much threatening around even more fear happens that if I miss speaking any word(s) improperly more violence will happen.'
'Please note @CPMumbaiPolice @Dev_Fadnavis open threats of violence are being issued by @RajThackeray workers. Provide me safety. Is an Indian having any rights to dignity & safety in Maharashtra today is a question even our @HMOIndia @AmitShah ji might ponder on as well.'
Wider context: Mira Road incident
The episode comes on the heels of another controversy involving MNS. In Mira Road, a sweet shop owner was recently beaten by seven MNS workers for not speaking Marathi. The incident, caught on camera, led to widespread protests in the area, with many shopkeepers shutting their establishments in solidarity. The MNS workers were detained but later released after being served police notices. The party has refused to apologise.
Police say further investigation is underway in the Worli case, and additional security measures remain in place around Kedia's office.
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