Maharashtra Marathi Row: MNS Leader Reacts to Shopkeeper Controversy

Maharashtra Marathi Row: MNS workers thrash shopkeeper in Vikhroli for WhatsApp status that they claimed was against Marathi community

Days after MNS workers assaulted people for their views on Marathi language, a group of workers allegedly beat up a shopkeeper in Mumbai’s Vikhroli area for a WhatsApp status they claimed was insulting to the Marathi community.

A video of the incident went viral on social media on Thursday. According to sources, the shopkeeper, a Marwari, had posted a status that some MNS workers interpreted as offensive towards Marathi speaking people. The workers went to his shop, questioned him about the post and thrashed him when he didn’t satisfy them.

The shopkeeper was seen holding his ears and apologising.

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The video shows MNS workers warning others not to disrespect the Marathi language and culture. They also asked the local population not to buy goods from the shops of those who insult ‘Marathi people’.

The WhatsApp status was bragging about Marwari dominance over Marathi people, according to the local MNS workers, which has upset them. The video shows the man being slapped and abused by them. They asked him to apologize to the Marathi community for his remarks. In the footage, the shopkeeper is seen holding his ears and saying “I won’t do it again”.

The MNS workers warned him that if he posts any further messages against Marathi people, whether by him, his family or his employees, he will face serious consequences. The video of his thrashing was recorded, edited and circulated with a Marathi song in the background and a caption that read: “This is how people will be treated if they say or write or speak anything against the Marathi people”.

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Earlier, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis had taken cognisance of the incident and said Marathi should be respected without violence.

“We respect Marathi, but violence in its name won’t be accepted. Strict action will be taken against those resorting to violence. No language in India will be allowed to be disrespected," he had said while addressing the media.

“The police have filed an FIR and taken action on the incident, and if anyone creates such a language dispute in future, legal action will be taken. We are proud of our Marathi, but injustice cannot be done to any language of India in this manner; we will have to keep this in mind. And sometimes I am surprised that these people embrace English and create disputes over Hindi. What kind of thinking is this, and what kind of action is this? Therefore, strict action will be taken against those who take the law into their own hands," Fadnavis had added.

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