A video showing Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers assaulting a Marwari shopkeeper in Mumbai has gone viral on social media. The MNS workers, including Vishwajeet Dholam, reportedly forced the man to apologise before thrashing him. The incident comes after the shopkeeper posted a status on social media against Maharashtra and the Marathi community.
What does the viral video show?
The now-viral video opens to show one of the MNS workers asking the shopkeeper to stop acting and speak the truth on camera. The shopkeeper then, surrounded by MNS workers, says with folded hands that he didn’t say anything.
One of the people in the video then addresses the shopkeeper and says that he is a Marwadi person who owns a shop in Mumbai. He posted a status on social media saying that Marathi people beat Marwari people in Maharashtra.
The same person then says that these people come to Maharashtra to work and earn money, and then say things against Marathi people.
He then asks the shopkeeper to hold his years and apologise. The shopkeeper, who was stuck between the Marathi people, then apologised.
The MNS worker then urges people to stop buying stuff from such people’s shops because they live in Maharashtra and still say that Marathi people beat them.
They then, as per several media reports, paraded him through the locality.
‘We don’t want to show strength but…’
“We do not want to show our strength. But if someone comes to Maharashtra, earns their livelihood here, and then insults the Marathi language, the Marathi person will definitely react,” The Indian Express quoted MNS leader Avinash Jadhav as saying.
No FIR has been filed in the case so far.
This is not the lone incident when MNS workers allegedly targeted someone from another state. Last month, a shop owner in Mumbai’s Mira Road was assaulted by MNS workers.
The victim, identified as Baboolal Khimaji Choudhary, told the police that seven men entered his shop and claimed that a resolution had been passed in the Maharashtra Assembly mandating all businesses to hire Marathi-speaking staff and conduct operations in Marathi.
When Choudhary responded by saying that all languages are spoken in the state, the men allegedly became aggressive and began assaulting him.
‘Proud of Marathi but…’: Maharashtra CM
Earlier, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis said people should not resort to violence over the Marathi language.
“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.