NEW DELHI: A political and linguistic controversy has erupted in Maharashtra after a viral video showed a shop owner being assaulted in Mira Road for allegedly refusing to speak in Marathi. The incident has sparked sharp reactions, including from state Minister Yogesh Kadam who said, “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, however, added that vigilante action was wrong and that the attackers should have filed a complaint instead.What is the controversy about?The issue began when a group of men, suspected to be members of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), allegedly thrashed Babulal Khimji Chaudhary (48), the owner of a sweet shop in Mira Road, after his staff responded to them in Hindi. The incident, which took place on Tuesday, was captured on video and widely circulated online.
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Chaudhary told the police that around 10.30 am, 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 argument escalated when Chaudhary said that his workers were from other states and not fluent in Marathi.The situation worsened when the men allegedly asked him which language is spoken in Maharashtra, and Chaudhary responded that all languages are spoken. The attackers, reportedly angered by this response, assaulted him and filmed the incident.Also read: ‘If Marathi or Maharashtra is insulted … ‘: Aaditya Thackeray issues ‘things can escalate’ warning; language row heats up.An FIR has been registered against seven unidentified men at the Kashimira police station under relevant sections of the IPC.MNS defends action, blames ‘arrogant’ attitudeAn MNS office-bearer defended the confrontation, saying their workers were celebrating the state government’s rollback of a language policy resolution and went to the shop to buy water. “The owner was arrogant and said that all languages are spoken in Maharashtra. This triggered the argument,” the leader claimed.
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