Maharashtra minister compares assaults on non-Marathi speakers in state to Pahalgam terror attack
He said that in both incidents, Hindus were targeted.
'In Pahalgam, people were killed because of their religion,' PTI quoted Shelar as saying at a press conference in Mumbai. 'Here in Maharashtra, Hindus are being assaulted only because of the language they speak. What's the difference?'
During the attack on April 22, the terrorists at Baisaran had targeted tourists after asking their names to ascertain their religion. All but three of those killed were Hindu.
Shelar's remarks came a week after seven unidentified persons, believed to be members of the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, assaulted a shopkeeper in Thane district for not speaking in Marathi.
On Saturday, suspected workers of the party also vandalised the Mumbai office of entrepreneur Sushil Kedia, a day after he posted on social media that he had lived in the city for 30 years without learning Marathi 'properly'.
#WATCH | Mumbai: On Marathi language row, Maharashtra Minister Ashish Shelar says, "All these incidents cause pain, suffering, and mental distress. In Pahalgam, they shot them after asking about their religion. And here they beat up the innocent Hindus just because of the… pic.twitter.com/rXAa3iskQc
— ANI (@ANI) July 6, 2025
The incidents took place amid an escalating row in Maharashtra, triggered by the state government's move to make Hindi a 'generally' taught third language for Class 1 to Class 5 in Marathi and English medium schools.
On June 29, the government withdrew the resolution following widespread backlash.
Shelar added that the BJP-led government in the state would protect both Marathi pride and the rights of non-Marathi residents.
The minister, without naming anyone, also said that some leaders were enjoying how 'Hindus' are being assaulted, PTI reported.
'Marathi is not a political issue for us,' the news agency quoted him as saying.
The BJP leader also criticised the recent show of unity between former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and his cousin Raj Thackeray, calling it an 'opportunistic alliance'.
On Saturday, the two leaders held a ' victory rally ' to celebrate the rollback of the government order on the three-language policy.
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