Mumbai: A local businessman was beaten up by MNS workers on Wednesday after he allegedly posted a provocative WhatsApp status insulting the Marathi community in Vikhroli’s Tagore Nagar. The message read: “See the power of a Rajasthani. Beat the Marathi in Maharashtra itself. We are Marwaris, nobody can stand before us.” This statement enraged MNS workers who confronted the businessman at his shop, assaulted him and made him apologise publicly.
Viral Video Shows Shopkeeper Apologising Over Objectionable Status
A widely circulated video shows the shopkeeper pleading with folded hands, apologising to the Marathi community, and promising not to repeat the mistake. He was reportedly paraded through the local market before being taken to the police station. MNS division chief Vishwajit Dholam urged people not to shop at stores run by those who insult Marathi identity. A formal police complaint has been filed regarding the incident.
Virar Rickshaw Driver Assaulted Over Refusing To Speak Marathi
Meanwhile, in another case in Vasai, autorickshaw driver Raju Patwa from Uttar Pradesh faced public assault by members of both the Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS. The incident took place on July 12 near Virar railway station.
Patwa had allegedly misbehaved with a woman and assaulted her brother Bhavesh Padoliya. However, the tipping point was a viral video in which he said, “I will speak Hindi, I will speak Bhojpuri, but I will not speak Marathi.”
Angered by the remark, a group of political workers, including women, confronted Patwa in public, slapped him multiple times, and forced him to apologize on camera. In the video, he is seen with folded hands, apologizing to Padoliya, his sister, and the people of Maharashtra for his language and behaviour.
Following this, Virar Police registered a case against the involved workers under sections related to unlawful assembly, breach of public peace, and rioting.
