An autorickshaw driver was thrashed in the Palghar district of Maharashtra this week amid continued debate about Marathi language in the state. Videos of the incident have since gone viral with police officials confirming that no case has been registered since no formal complaint has been filed in the matter. The incident involving alleged Shiv Sena (UBT) workers took place near Virar railway station.
The rickshaw driver — reportedly a migrant residing in the Virar area on the outskirts of Mumbai — had made allegedly made derogatory remarks against the Marathi language, Maharashtra and Marathi icons earlier this month. A video of his remarks had also gone viral on social media and drew sharp reactions from various political groups.
The latest confrontation took place on Saturday with clips showing the driver being slapped repeatedly by a group of Shiv Sena (UBT) workers. He is then made to publicly apologise to a man and his sister, with whom he allegedly misbehaved earlier, as well as to the state for “insulting” it and its linguistic and cultural heritage.
A local functionary of the Uddhav Thackeray-led party later told news agency PTI that the driver had been taught a befitting lesson. Shiv Sena (UBT) Virar city chief Uday Jadhav also asserted that anyone insulting the Marathi language and the state would be given a reply in the “true Shiv Sena style”.
“If anyone dares to insult the Marathi language, Maharashtra, or Marathi people, they will get a reply in the true Shiv Sena style. We will not sit silent. The driver had the audacity to speak ill of Maharashtra and Marathi manoos. He was taught a befitting lesson. We made him apologise to the people of the state and to those he had offended,” he later told reporters. Jadhav had been present at the scene.
When contacted, a senior police official confirmed the incident occurred on Saturday, but said no formal complaint had been lodged so far.
“We have seen the viral video and are verifying the facts, but as of now, no complaint has been received from either party,” the official said.
Amid the language controversy, workers of the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) slapped a food stall owner at Bhayander in neighbouring Thane district on July 1 for not speaking in Marathi.
Traders from the area later staged a protest against it.
On July 8, the MNS and other groups led a protest march in Mira Bhayandar area to defend the Marathi ‘asmita’ (pride) and counter the traders’ agitation.
The march witnessed detention of several activists by the police, with leaders and workers of the opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) also joining the protest.