"Said Have To Speak In Marathi": Man Threatened By Raj Thackeray Party Workers

A worker at a shop in Thane, whose owner was thrashed by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers for asking them why speaking in Marathi should be compulsory, on Wednesday said the accused had first threatened him for not speaking the language.

Speaking to NDTV three days after several members of the Raj Thackeray-led party thrashed the 'Jodhpur Sweets' shopkeeper, a resident of Rajasthan's Pali, the worker, Bagharam, said they told him that he has to speak in Marathi in Maharashtra.

"They (the MNS workers) were taking out a rally and came inside the shop and asked me for a bottle of water. I gave them water. They then asked me: 'Where do you live'. I said, in Maharashtra. They then said, 'If you live in Maharashtra, you will have to speak Marathi'," Mr Bagharam said.

"I said we speak all languages, so they threatened to beat me up and said they would damage the shop," he said.

He said they then went to the owner at the counter and had an argument with him.

Mr Bagharam said the MNS workers had been coming to the shop for tea and snacks.

"That day, they suddenly became violent over the Marathi language," he said.

He said he has been living in Mumbai for 15 years and has worked with a lot of Marathi people, but this was the "first time" he had seen such an incident.

"We also speak in Marathi whenever required," Mr Bagharam said.

Video Shows MNS Workers Slapping Shopkeeper

A video has gone viral that shows the MNS workers assaulting the shopkeeper on Sunday night.

"You asked me why you should speak in Marathi. What does that mean? When you had trouble, you had come to the MNS office," a member told the shopkeeper, who replied that he had no idea when speaking in the language became compulsory.

Another man, who also used some curse words, warned the shopkeeper that he would not be allowed to do business in the area.

When the shopkeeper said they would need to teach him Marathi, one of the men said, "Yeah, say that then. What do you mean why should you learn Marathi? This is Maharashtra. Which language is spoken in Maharashtra?"

When the shopkeeper replied "all languages", they repeatedly slapped him.

A police case has been registered against seven members of the MNS.

The incident comes against the backdrop of the Raj Thackeray-led party trying to push for the use of the Marathi language in commercial establishments and banks in Maharashtra.

They have also been at the forefront of the campaign against the implementation of the three-language policy in Maharashtra schools, which is part of the National Education Policy.