A supermarket employee in Mumbai was allegedly slapped by members of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) for refusing to converse in Marathi. The incident took place on Tuesday at a D-Mart store in Versova, Andheri (West), and has since gained widespread attention on social media. According to PTI reports, the controversy erupted after a video surfaced online, showing the store employee refusing to speak in Marathi. In the footage, he is heard telling a customer, "I will not speak in Marathi, I will speak only in Hindi. Do what you want to do." The statement quickly drew the ire of MNS workers, who have long advocated for the promotion of Marathi language and culture in Maharashtra. Now Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam has condemned the incident, the veteran politician said, "I have always condemned the absurd campaign being run in the name of the Marathi language by the MNS (Maharashtra Navnirman Sena). It is certain that the local language in Maharashtra is Marathi, and everyone should speak it. However, if a poor or weak person does not know how to speak Marathi, there is no justification for beating or harming them. Instead, MNS members should open centers for teaching Marathi and encourage people to learn it if they do not already know it...."
According to PTI reports, the controversy erupted after a video surfaced online, showing the store employee refusing to speak in Marathi. In the footage, he is heard telling a customer, "I will not speak in Marathi, I will speak only in Hindi. Do what you want to do." The statement quickly drew the ire of MNS workers, who have long advocated for the promotion of Marathi language and culture in Maharashtra. Upon learning about the remarks made by the employee, a group of MNS workers, led by the party's Versova unit president Sandesh Desai, reportedly stormed into the supermarket and confronted the staff member. As per PTI, a heated argument ensued, following which the employee was allegedly slapped. A video capturing the moment of the assault has also surfaced on social media, further fuelling the debate around language politics in the state. This is not the first time MNS workers have been involved in an assault over Marathi language enforcement. A similar incident was reported today morning where a private security guard working at Powai area of Maharashtra's Mumbai was allegedly beaten up by party workers from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) for not being able to speak in the Marathi language.
The video of the assault has been shared on the social media platform Facebook. The guard can be seen getting slapped by MNS workers as onlookers try to defuse tension. Later, the man can be seen apologising with folded hands. According to NDTV Marathi, the guard explained that he could not speak the local language as he was from North India. The Raj Thackeray-led party said on Saturday that incidents of violence against non-Marathi speakers in the state by its workers were not intentional but insisted that those living and working in Maharashtra should give respect to the local language. “Marathi is the language of Mumbai and the rest of Maharashtra. The Union government recently gave it classical language status. But some people deliberately disrespect and humiliate the language. While teaching such elements a lesson, violence does take place. But it is not intentional. Give Marathi due respect, and we have no issues whether the people concerned are from Bihar or Karnataka,” MNS spokesperson Vageesh Saraswat told PTI.He was responding to Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) MP Rajesh Verma, who accused the MNS of targeting Hindi speakers to show its political might. “Hindi speakers work hard. They deserve respect and not insults and violence,” Verma had said. In 2022 a restaurant manager in Navi Mumbai was allegedly slapped by MNS workers after he refused to play Marathi songs immediately upon request.