MNS goons assault shopkeeper in Mumbai, Aaditya Thackeray sidesteps condemnation: Are language goons being used by some parties to regain political relevance?

In a brazen display of political hooliganism, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers assaulted a 48-year-old sweetshop owner in Mumbai’s Mira Road suburb on 29th June, sparking statewide outrage over escalating language-based violence and the tacit endorsement of such tactics by regional parties. The incident, captured on video and circulated by the perpetrators themselves, reveals a disturbing pattern of intimidation tactics employed by Raj Thackeray’s party as elections approach.

The violent confrontation

The victim, Babulal Khimji Chaudhary, owner of Jodhpur Sweets and Namkeen, was targeted when seven MNS members, including identified assaulters Karan Kandangire (MNS deputy city chief), Pamod Nilekat (Vaahtuk Sena district organiser), and Akshay Dalvi (MNS worker), Sachin Salunkhe and Amol Patil, and others entered his shop demanding transactions in Marathi. The confrontation escalated when Chaudhary questioned their claim that the state assembly mandated Marathi usage in businesses and that the shopkeeper needs to hire all Marathi-speaking staff by a government order.

Viral video evidence shows

•⁠ ⁠Chaudhary stating “I didn’t know Marathi was compulsory” before being slapped repeatedly
•⁠ ⁠One attacker threatening: “Maar khayega?” (Do you want to be beaten?)
•⁠ ⁠Another warning he wouldn’t be allowed to operate his 20-year-old business in the area

Tepid political condemnation

While police registered an FIR under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for assault, intimidation, and promoting enmity, no arrests have been made in 72+ hours later, despite clear video evidence. More alarming was the political response:

•⁠ ⁠MNS Leadership’s Justification: Mumbai chief Sandeep Deshpande declared the assault a legitimate response to “insulting Marathi,” warning critics: “If Raj Thackeray is criticised… we will definitely respond”.
•⁠ ⁠Aaditya Thackeray’s Ambiguous Stance: The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader refrained from condemning the violence, instead stating: “We want that our mother tongue Marathi is not insulted and no language is forcefully imposed… We don’t want anybody to take the law into their hands, but when it is the other way round and Marathi or Maharashtra is insulted, things can escalate…“. His comments came amid another controversy involving his party leader Rajan Vichare summoning traders over language disputes.
•⁠ ⁠Government Complicity: Junior Home Minister Yogesh Kadam focused on language “disrespect,” not the assault: “In Maharastra you have to speak Marathi, If you don’t know marathi your attitude shouldn’t be that you won’t speak marathi”.

MNS’ has been using ‘gundagardi’ for political relevance

This incident is another example of the MNS’s political strategy over the years, which has been about street-level violence and threats, creating local-level conflicts to gain notoriety and media attention to justify their political relevance.

Moreover, the attack coincided with MNS plans for a July 5 “victory rally” after forcing the state to roll back a three-language education policy, positioning itself as Marathi’s defender before BMC polls. With zero seats in the 2024 assembly elections, the party resorts to violence for visibility. As social media users noted: “His entire politics is built on gundagardi”. Raj Thackeray had previously threatened to “slap” non-Marathi speakers, with MNS workers attacking bank officials earlier this year.

Language wars rekindled

The violence unfolds against a contentious linguistic politics that has been brewing in Maharashtra for quite a while.

MNS and Shiv Sena (UBT) recently allied to protest against making Hindi compulsory in schools, forcing Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to form a review committee. Despite ample explainations by the centre and relevant ministries that the NEP does not mandate Hindi, politicians in Tamil Nadu, and now Maharashtra have been hell bent on making a controversy out of it, often at the cost of students and their respective state electorate’s larger benefit.

Legal experts emphasise that Article 19 guarantees Indians the right to speak any language, making the demands of these so-called language warriors unlawful. Moreover, the consistent incidents of violence over ‘language’ perpetuate a culture of fear. Traders shut shops in protest, citing intimidation. Chaudhary, a Rajasthan native running his business for two decades, now lives in fear: “Mumbai is my ‘karmabhoomi’… but now I am living in fear”, he told to media.

MNS’s consistent strategy of alienation, which is unfortunately finding a silent political support from Shiv Sena (UBT) for political reasons, displays a sad picture of misplaced priorities and needless controversy by regional-level parties.

The police and government’s reluctance to act speaks volumes. The accused are still roaming free. Kandangire even brazenly told the media: “We will not tolerate insult to Marathi. File FIRs… we are not afraid”. Days later, MNS workers again assaulted Pune resident Kedar Soman over a social media post about Raj Thackeray, with police taking the victim into custody.

Conclusion

These incidents reveal Maharashtra’s political fractures. While parties like MNS weaponise language for relevance, constitutional rights are trampled. With authorities enabling vigilantes through inaction and rhetoric, Mumbai’s cosmopolitan ethos faces its gravest threat in decades. As traders mobilise and citizens protest, the state must choose between the rule of law and linguistic extremism.

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