Phone charging, apology, assault: What triggered Marathi vs non-Marathi row in Thane

A viral video showing a group being assaulted in Maharashtra’s Thane has triggered a massive Marathi vs non-Marathi controversy. The name of a Shiv Sena (UBT) leader has cropped up in the row and his aides are being accused of facilitating the assault on camera.

The video surfaced on the internet amid a raging language row triggered by MNS workers’ assault of a shopkeeper for not being able to speak in Marathi.

How did the Thane row start?

Kiran Tanaji Sawant, 43, asked a mobile phone shop owner to charge his cellphone. However, the shopkeeper couldn’t do it because of a technical glitch. The minor issue soon snowballed into a fist-fight. Sawant later accused the shopkeeper and his aides of thrashing him. He also sustained some injuries, reported NDTV.

Sawant later filed a complaint with the police, which registered a case against the shopowner under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The police detained the four accused but later released them.

He later approached the office of former Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Rajan Vichare who also heard the version of the shop staff. However, one of his aides interjected and asked a staff member to speak in Marathi.

“Marathi mein bol, Marathi ko mara na? Marathi mein bol (Speak in Marathi. Didn’t you hit a Marathi? Now, speak in Marathi),” he added.

The viral video further shows Kiran Sawant allegedly assaulting the shop staff as they bowed before him to apologise. They were made to hold their ears, a gesture denoting regret, and say that they had committed a mistake.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray, meanwhile, played down the controversy.

“Regarding the viral video involving Rajan Vichare ji, I called and spoke to him. He clarified that the dispute was not between Marathi and non-Marathi individuals. It started when an office-bearer was not allowed to charge his phone, which led to an argument and eventually a physical altercation. It’s important to note that this issue is not about anyone’s regional identity,” he told reporters.

Reacting to the row, Maharashtra minister Yogesh Kadam said those who disrespect Marathi will be prosecuted according to the law.

“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. Those who beat up (the shop owner) should not take the law into their own hands. They should have filed a complaint against the concerned person; action would have been taken,” he said.

Marathi vs non-Marathi assault in Mumbai

Earlier this week, a shopkeeper in Mumbai was assaulted by MNS workers for not speaking to them in Marathi. An FIR was registered by the police in connection with the assault, and a video of the incident was widely circulated on social media.

The victim of the assault, Babulal Chaudhary, is the owner of the ‘Jodhpur Sweet Shop’ in Mumbai’s Mira Road suburb.

He said the men came to buy water from his shop and then asked him to speak in Marathi if he wanted to continue working in Maharashtra. They slapped him and recorded the act on camera.