Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers vandalised the office of entrepreneur Sushil Kedia in Mumbai on Saturday, days after he posted on X (formerly Twitter) that he “won’t learn Marathi.” The comment triggered backlash from the MNS, culminating in stone-pelting and damage to Kedia’s premises.

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Kedia, a businessman and market commentator, had written, “Shri @RajThackeray threatening me by 100s of your workers is not going to make me a fluent Marathi speaker.” His post followed criticism from MNS members who accused him of disrespecting the Marathi language.

Responding sharply, MNS general secretary Manoj Chavan said, “If you live in Maharashtra and act superior by not speaking Marathi, I’ll give you a tight slap!” The party’s official X handle amplified the message. MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande also posted: “Do business if you’re a businessman; don’t try to act like our father… Insult Marathi in Maharashtra, you’ll get a slap.”

Soon after Deshpande’s tweet, Kedia reached out to the Mumbai Police, claiming he was receiving threats online. “We contacted Kedia after he tagged Mumbai Police in his post,” an official told CNN-News18.

In a related incident, a shop owner in Mira Road, near Mumbai, was allegedly assaulted by MNS workers for refusing to speak Marathi. The incident was filmed and shared online by the attackers themselves, triggering massive protests by local traders. Hundreds of shops were shut in Mira Road on Thursday as part of the protest.

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While MNS workers involved in the Mira Road assault were detained, they were released after police served them notices, according to officials.

These incidents come at a politically sensitive time in Maharashtra, as estranged cousins Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray recently appeared on the same stage after two decades, marking a potential realignment in the state’s political landscape.

Police have begun probing both incidents and are reviewing security arrangements amid rising tensions over linguistic identity in the state.