Daijiworld Media Network - Virar
Virar, Jul 13: A migrant auto-rickshaw driver was brutally assaulted in full public view near Virar station in Maharashtra's Palghar district by supporters of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), after a video of a language dispute went viral on social media.
The incident stems from an earlier confrontation between the driver, a migrant from Uttar Pradesh, and one Bhavesh Padolia, over the driver's refusal to speak in Marathi. In the viral clip, the driver is heard insisting, “Main Hindi bolunga” (I will speak in Hindi), when asked why he wasn’t using Marathi in public. He reportedly said he preferred speaking in Hindi and Bhojpuri.
On Saturday, a group of Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS members confronted the driver near the railway station, slapped him multiple times — with even women members participating — and forced him to publicly apologise to Padolia, his sister, and the people of Maharashtra for “insulting” the Marathi language.
Uday Jadhav, the Virar city chief of Shiv Sena (UBT), later confirmed their involvement. “If anyone dares to insult the Marathi language or Marathi people, we will respond in true Shiv Sena style,” he said. “The driver had the audacity to speak ill of Maharashtra and was taught a befitting lesson.”
Despite the public assault, no FIR has been filed yet. Palghar police stated they are “verifying the facts” but have not received any complaint from either party.
This incident follows a similar one on July 1, where MNS workers in Thane slapped a street vendor for not speaking Marathi. That assault triggered backlash, leading to the arrest of seven MNS members and counter-protests by local traders in Bhayander.
Fuelled by recent debates around language in public spaces and education, linguistic tensions in Maharashtra have escalated sharply. A now-revoked government directive to introduce Hindi in primary schools had earlier drawn criticism from pro-Marathi groups and led to protests by the MNS and other regional outfits.
Observers view these incidents as signs of a deepening cultural and political divide, with language emerging as a key flashpoint in Maharashtra’s identity politics.