A shopkeeper in Mumbai’s Vikhroli area was assaulted by members of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) on Wednesday, after he posted a WhatsApp status that the group deemed insulting to the Marathi language and community.
A man from the Marwari community posted a status update that some MNS workers found offensive. In response, a group of party members went to his shop and confronted him about the post. Dissatisfied with his explanation, they physically assaulted him.
Footage of the incident, which surfaced on social media Thursday, has gone viral, prompting widespread condemnation. The video shows MNS workers, including party functionary Vishwajeet Dholam, confronting the shopkeeper and subsequently parading him through the locality.
MNS supporters later claimed that the WhatsApp post contained derogatory remarks about Marathi-speaking people.
According to the India Express, in a media statement, the MNS leader, Avinash Jadhav defended the group’s actions, saying, “We do not intend to display our strength. But if someone comes to Maharashtra, earns a livelihood here, and then disrespects the Marathi language, Marathi people will naturally respond".
As of now, no police complaint has been filed in connection with the incident.
This isn’t the first time MNS members have allegedly reacted with violence over perceived insults to the Marathi language. On June 29, in Mumbai’s Mira Road area, a different shopkeeper was reportedly attacked by a group of MNS workers.
Baboolal Khimaji Choudhary, a resident of Bhayander (East), told police that seven unidentified men stormed into his shop, claiming that a resolution had been passed in the Maharashtra Assembly mandating businesses to employ Marathi-speaking staff and conduct operations in Marathi. When Choudhary responded that all languages are spoken across the state, the group allegedly turned aggressive and assaulted him.
That incident sparked widespread outrage, not only among non-Marathi speakers but also among members of both the MNS and Shiv Sena (UBT), who protested in the area. Police subsequently registered a First Information Report (FIR) against seven individuals based on Choudhary’s complaint.
