Maharashtra's Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday condemned recent assaults on non-Marathi speakers and warned that hooliganism in the name of language would not be tolerated.
Speaking to media in Mumbai, Fadnavis said, "It's not wrong to take pride in the Marathi language in Maharashtra. However, we won't tolerate anyone resorting to hooliganism over language issues. Violence against people based on their language is completely unacceptable."
Updating media about police action regarding a recent incident involving MNS workers, the CM added, "The police have registered an FIR and taken appropriate action. Should anyone instigate similar language-based conflicts in future, legal measures will be strictly enforced."
Criticising those creating such divisions, CM Fadnavis said, "While we take pride in Marathi, we cannot permit injustice against any of India's languages. Sometimes I'm astonished that these same people who readily embrace English choose to create disputes over Hindi. What kind of mentality drives such contradictory behaviour?"
The Chief Minister warned that stringent action would be taken against anyone attempting to take the law into their own hands.
The Chief Minister's comments come days after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers allegedly assaulted a shopkeeper in Mira Road, near Mumbai, for not speaking Marathi. According to reports, the incident sparked widespread outrage in the area, with several shopkeepers keeping their establishments closed on Thursday in protest against the violence.
Police reportedly detained seven MNS workers for assaulting the shop owner, though they were released within hours of detention.
According to an NDTV report, one of the accused openly justified the violence, claiming the shopkeeper had "invited the attack on himself." The individual made no attempt to conceal his identity during this statement.
