Migrant Auto Driver Assaulted, Forced To Apologise In Maharashtra's Palghar Over 'Anti-Marathi' Remarks

A migrant auto-rickshaw driver, who had earlier gone viral on social media for refusing to speak Marathi, was allegedly assaulted by Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers in Maharashta's Palghar district, reported India Today.

A few days earlier, an argument between the migrant auto driver and a man was caught on camera and went viral on social media.

The driver allegedly threatened the youth near Virar station and refused to speak in Marathi.

The video showed the rickshaw driver declaring, "Main Hindi bolunga" ("I will speak in Hindi") repeatedly when asked why he was not speaking in Marathi.

According to the India Today report, in the video, the rickshaw driver can be seem screaming at a man, saying "main Hindi bolunga, main bhojpuri bolunga. Mujhe Marathi nahi aata hai (I will speak in Hindi, I will speak in English. I don't know Marathi)".

On Saturday (12 July), Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS supporters, including women, tracked the driver near Virar station and attacked him in full public view.

They reportedly slapped and thrashed him on a busy road, and forced him to publicly apologise to the man and his sister, with whom he had allegedly misbehaved earlier, and to the people of Maharashtra for allegedly insulting the Marathi language and Marathi icons.

Shiv Sena (UBT) Virar city chief Uday Jadhav, who was reportedly present during the assault, defended it.

“Anyone who insults the Marathi language, Maharashtra or the Marathi manoos will be given a reply in the true Shiv Sena style. We made him apologise to those he offended,” he was quoted as saying by India Today.

A local Shiv Sena functionary also claimed the driver was “taught a befitting lesson.”

Despite the video circulating widely on social media, police reportedly said on Sunday that no formal complaint has been received yet and no case has been registered so far.

“We have seen the viral clip and are verifying the facts. But, no one has come forward to file a complaint,” a senior official was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

The incident is the latest in a string of attacks fueled by language politics in Maharashtra.

On 1 July, MNS workers in Thane slapped a street food vendor for refusing to converse in Marathi.

That incident also drew widespread criticism and led to the arrest of several MNS, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) workers.

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