After Assault On Old Man, MNS Targets 'Outsider' Taxi Drivers In Thane

The assault on an elderly Marathi man by an Ola driver in Thane has turned political. While the two Shiv Sena factions united to track down the driver and thrash him, now the MNS has jumped in and is targeting Ola drivers across Thane.

MNS workers were seen stopping taxi drivers, checking their Marathi fluency and beating those who could not speak the local language.

MNS leader Avinash Jadhav landed the site of assault and was seen harassing the Ola drivers over the Marathi language issue. MNS leader was also seen slapping cab drivers who could not speak Marathi.

The issue has taken a local vs outsider turn as the victim is a Marathi while the taxi driver who beat him is non-Marathi.

A video of the Ola cab driver assaulting the old man in full public view had gone viral on social media on Wednesday. The incident took place outside a popular mall when the old man reportedly objected to the taxi driver spitting on the road. An argument followed, and the enraged taxi driver was seen beating the old man while his wife tried to save him. Taxi driver was seen hitting the man with a stone, who fell down on the road and sustained injuries.

As Soon as the video circulated on social media, Shiv Sena workers traced the driver, thrashed him and handed him over to the police.

#BreakingGround with @vedikas | Auto Driver Assaults Elderly Man, Eknath Shinde Orders Attempt To Murder Case pic.twitter.com/5kbedEPaZl

— NDTV (@ndtv) June 11, 2026

Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde himself took cognizance of the assault on the elderly man. He released a video directing the Thane Commissioner to book the cab driver for attempt to murder. "If a person is brutally assaulted merely for pointing out that someone is littering, it will not be accepted at any cost," Shinde said. Thane is the stronghold of Eknath Shinde.

Following the deputy chief minister's directive, Vartak Nagar Police arrested the accused Ola driver and booked him for attempt to murder.