Raj Thackeray's Men Do It Again. Rajasthan Man Assaulted Over WhatsApp Status

Raj Thackeray's men have done it again. A shopkeeper in Mumbai's Vikhroli was assaulted by workers of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) over a WhatsApp status deemed offensive to the Marathi-speaking community. The video shows the shopkeeper being forced to apologise publicly while being threatened and physically attacked. This marks the latest in a series of confrontations involving MNS workers over Marathi identity.

The assault took place in the Tagore Nagar area of Vikhroli, a bustling suburb in Mumbai. The victim, a Rajasthani shopkeeper, had posted a WhatsApp status that read: "Dekh liya Rajasthani ka power. Hum Marwari hamare saamne kisi ki nahi chalti (Witnessed the power of a Rajasthani. No one can stand before us Marwaris)." 

The provocative message, which boasted of Marwari dominance over Marathi people, sparked outrage among local MNS workers. According to eyewitnesses and the viral video, a group of MNS workers confronted the shopkeeper outside his store. The video shows the man being slapped and verbally berated. The workers demanded he apologise to the Marathi community for his remarks. In the footage, the shopkeeper is seen holding his ears, and pleading, "I will not repeat such a mistake." 

The MNS workers continued to threaten him, warning that any further posts against Marathi people, whether by him, his family, or his employees, would result in more severe consequences.The video, which the MNS workers themselves recorded, edited, and circulated, includes a Marathi song in the background and a caption that reads: "This is how people will be treated if they say or write or speak anything against the Marathi people." 

The MNS logo is prominently displayed, a move that directly contradicts Raj Thackeray's public directive to his workers to avoid recording such incidents. During a recent address, Mr Thackeray had instructed party members to refrain from filming their actions to avoid legal repercussions. 

After the assault, the shopkeeper was dragged out of the market and taken to a local police station, where a complaint was filed. Vishwajit Dholam, the local MNS leader, called for a boycott of the shopkeeper's business, urging residents not to purchase goods from "such traders." 

This incident is not an isolated one. Just weeks earlier, on July 1, MNS workers in Thane assaulted a street food vendor for refusing to speak in Marathi, an altercation that led to the arrest of seven party workers. The episode prompted a counter-protest by traders in Bhayander, who accused the MNS of moral policing and targeting non-Marathi communities. 

In response, the MNS, alongside allies like the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), organised a protest march on July 8 in Mira-Bhayander to defend Marathi "asmita" (pride). 

In another incident, a migrant auto-rickshaw driver from Uttar Pradesh was assaulted by supporters of both the MNS and Shiv Sena (UBT) near Virar railway station. The confrontation stemmed from a prior argument captured on video, where the driver, when questioned about his refusal to speak Marathi, defiantly declared, "Main Hindi bolunga" ("I will speak in Hindi"). The video went viral, prompting a group of MNS and Shiv Sena (UBT) supporters, including women, to confront the driver. He was slapped multiple times and forced to apologise publicly to Bhavesh Padolia, the man who had questioned him, as well as to Mr Padolia's sister and the state of Maharashtra for "insulting" the Marathi language.

Uday Jadhav, the Virar city chief of Shiv Sena (UBT), was present at the scene and later defended the assault, stating, "If anyone dares to insult the Marathi language, Maharashtra, or Marathi people, they will get a reply in the true Shiv Sena style."