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Indian Express
3 days ago
- Indian Express
Virar autorickshaw driver allegedly thrashed by Sena (UBT) workers, days after his ‘Marathi nahi bolunga' video goes viral
An autorickshaw driver in Virar town near Mumbai was assaulted and made to apologise allegedly by Shiv Sena (UBT) workers on Saturday, days after a video surfaced showing him refusing to speak in Marathi. The video, which went viral earlier this week, shows the autorickshaw driver saying in Hindi, 'Hindi bolunga, Bhojpuri bolunga, par Marathi nahi bolunga (I'll speak Hindi. I'll speak Bhojpuri, but not Marathi).' He can also be heard telling a passenger, 'Main Hindi bolunga, tujhe kya karna hai? Jo karna hai kar le (I'll speak in Hindi—what will you do about it? Do whatever you want to do).' As the video of the autorickshaw driver went viral on social media, a group of alleged Sena (UBT) workers confronted him near the Virar railway station on Saturday. It was also alleged that the autorickshaw driver, a migrant, had earlier made derogatory remarks about the Marathi language, Maharashtra, and Marathi icons. Its video had also gone viral online, drawing sharp reactions, including from local political groups. The group of people who thrashed the autorickshaw driver also forced him to say, with his hands folded, 'I apologise to the people of Maharashtra for insulting Marathi.' In a video, the autorickshaw driver is seen being slapped by a group of people, including women, on a busy road near the Virar railway station. No formal complaint has been registered with the police. However, the incident has reignited debates over linguistic identity, migrant integration, and vigilantism. This is not the first case of assault on a non-Maharashtrian for not speaking Marathi. On June 29, a shopkeeper named Babulal Chaudhary was assaulted by a group of workers of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena in neighbouring Mira Road town. The incident has sparked nationwide outrage with non-Marathi speakers as well as MNS and Sena (UBT) workers protesting in the area.
Time of India
07-07-2025
- Time of India
Chargesheet filed against 7 MNS workers for shop owner's assault
Mumbai: Kashimira police in Mira Road filed a chargesheet last week against seven MNS workers four days after they allegedly assaulted a shop owner for not speaking in Marathi. The MNS workers, who were said to be celebrating the withdrawal of the GR on teaching Hindi as a third language in primary schools, allegedly thrashed Babulal Chaudhary (48) on June 29 after he communicated with them in Hindi and asserted that "all languages are spoken in Maharashtra". Tired of too many ads? go ad free now An FIR was lodged against them on July 1 under charges of criminal intimidation, provoking breach of peace, causing hurt and rioting. Chapter proceedings (preventive action) were also initiated, under which they signed a bond promising good behaviour, said a senior officer of Mira-Bhayander, Vasai-Virar police. "We took this case on priority and have completed all the formalities from our end," said the officer. Meanwhile, traders clarified that the daylong bandh held on July 3 in Mira-Bhayander was only meant to protest Chaudhary's assault and not oppose any language. In a letter to DCP Prakash Gaikwad, Mira-Bhayander Vyapari Sangh said the intention was to demand that traders be allowed to operate without any fear.
NDTV
03-07-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
"No Language Should Be Imposed...": Aaditya Thackeray Amid Slapgate Row
New Delhi: Two assaults in four days by goons from Raj Thackeray's MNS - on a Mumbai man for not speaking Marathi and a Pune man for an 'objectionable' post - have roiled state politics. A third involving an ex-Uddhav Thackeray party MP has added to the unease. Here are the top 10 points in this big story: The first assault was late Sunday. A shopkeeper in Mumbai's Mira Road suburb was slapped by MNS party workers after a staff member and he did not speak in Marathi. The thugs filmed the assault of 48-year-old Babulal Chaudhary and posted it online. The video went viral but the police acted against only after sustained reporting from NDTV; a case was filed two days after the assault and four of the seven were called for questioning a further two days later. None of the accused have been arrested so far. The second took place Thursday. A man in Pune's Kothrud area was assaulted after an 'objectionable' social media post on Raj Thackeray. MNS workers descended on Kedar Soman's home and beat him up before calling the police, who then took him into custody. In both instances the MNS refused to apologise or reprimand party workers, insisting any 'disrespect' to the Marathi language would invite a strong response. The party's Mumbai chief, Sandeep Deshpande, said the attack on Babulal Chaudhary was because he 'insulted' Marathi, and that on Kedar Soman was a warning to critics of Raj Thackeray. More shocking, perhaps, was a minister's response. Home Minister Yogesh Kadam said 'action will be taken' against anyone who 'disrespects Marathi', but made no mention of punishing the MNS hooligans. "Marathi will have to be spoken in Maharashtra..." NDTV also spoke to Amol Patil, one of the goons who took part in the assault on Chaudhary. Patil remains a free man despite a video of an attack that Deputy Commissioner of Police Prakash Gaikwad told NDTV is clearly a cognisable offence. He told NDTV Chaudhary's 'attitude' prompted the attack, and indicated he expected non-Marathi speakers to 'behave' themselves. Meanwhile, also on Thursday, a video from the office of Rajan Vichare, an ex-MP from Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT), showed his aide heckling a Thane shop staff for not speaking Marathi, and an angry customer - Kiran Sawant - slapping them. Aaditya Thackeray, Uddhav Thackeray's son, told reporters he had spoken to Vichare, who told him the incident was not about speaking, or not speaking, Marathi. "... he told me an official went to the shop to recharge his prepaid mobile phone but wasn't allowed to do so. This led to a fight... this has gone into a police complaint," he declared. Thackeray - walking a tightrope between remarks that could be seen as defending the goons or interpreted by pro-Marathi groups as abandoning them - also said the Marathi language "shouldn't be insulted" but that "(no) language shouldn't be imposed" on people. All of this plays out while the Thackeray family celebrate forcing the state government to roll back orders making Hindi the default third language for students from Class I to V. The 'Hindi imposition' row has made headlines - in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra - over claims the BJP-led federal government wants to subdue regional tongues.
