Key points
- Maharashtra Navnirman Sena activists slapped the owner several times
- They also shouted at the owner of Thane Food Stall
- The owner has filed a complaint with the police
ISLAMABAD: A food stall owner in Maharashtra’s Thane district in India was beaten up by activists of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) for not speaking in Marathi, local police said on Wednesday.
The men had visited the shop to buy food. While they were still at the shop, one of them asked the owner, “Which language is spoken in the state,” after he talked to them in Hindi. The owner replied saying “all languages”.
For not speaking in Marathi
India media reported a group of men, wearing Raj Thackeray led MNS mufflers, assaulted a shop owner for not speaking in Marathi in the Bhayander area of Maharashtra’s Thane.
This annoyed the man. He shouted at him, and slapped him several times along with his companions, according to India media.
The owner filed a complaint after police registered an FIR against unidentified persons under various sections.
The MNS led by Raj Thackeray has been overtly supporting the use of Marathi language in Maharashtra. It had earlier staged a massive protest in Mumbai on Jun 28 against the policy, which mandates the teaching of Hindi, English, and Marathi in the schools of the state, India media reported.
