'Speak Marathi or...': Mira Road sweet shop owner thrashed by MNS Supporters, video sparks outrage
According to the FIR, the incident took place on Tuesday morning at around 10:30 am. Babulal Khimji Chaudhary, a 48-year-old sweet shop owner, said that a group of men wearing MNS symbols on their clothing entered his shop and asked for water.
When the shop worker spoke to them in Hindi, the men reportedly got angry and started abusing and threatening him for not speaking in Marathi. Chaudhary said the argument escalated when he explained that many of his workers were from other states and not fluent in Marathi.
Assault caught on camera
Chaudhary added that two of the men approached him directly and told him he must speak Marathi if he wants to work in Maharashtra. When he tried to explain his point, he was allegedly thrashed. 'They even made a video of the attack and shared it on social media,' he said.
When asked what language is spoken in Maharashtra, Chaudhary said he responded, 'All languages are spoken in Maharashtra.' According to him, this made the men even more furious.
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MNS responds
A TOI report revealed that an MNS office-bearer confirmed there was an argument over the language issue but claimed the shop owner was 'arrogant.' He said the party workers were nearby, celebrating the state government's rollback of the three-language policy resolution, and had gone to the shop to buy water when the incident occurred.
'The owner said all languages are spoken in Maharashtra, and that led to some heated words,' the office-bearer claimed.
The bigger picture
The incident comes amid ongoing political discussions around language use in Maharashtra. The state recently rolled back its decision to implement a three-language policy in schools, following strong reactions from political parties and citizens.
Police are investigating the case, and the video is being used as evidence. So far, no arrests have been made.
Inputs from TOI
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