Thackeray Supporters Assault Migrant Rickshaw Driver Over Marathi Language Row, Video Viral
A migrant auto-rickshaw driver was assaulted in full public view in Maharashtra’s Palghar district by supporters of both the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), days after a heated language dispute went viral on social media.
The incident stems from an earlier confrontation at Virar railway station between Bhavesh Padolia, a migrant from Uttar Pradesh, and the same rickshaw driver, also a migrant. A video of the argument showed the driver firmly declaring, “Main Hindi bolunga” (“I will speak in Hindi”) when questioned about not speaking Marathi in public. According to Padolia, he had merely asked the driver why he wasn’t using Marathi, to which the driver insisted on speaking in Hindi and Bhojpuri instead.
On Saturday, the driver was tracked down and confronted near Virar station by a group of Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS supporters. Visuals from the scene show him being slapped multiple times, including by women from the groups. The driver was then forced to publicly apologise to Padolia, his sister, and the people of Maharashtra for what the assailants claimed was an insult to the Marathi language and cultural icons.
Uday Jadhav, Virar city chief of Shiv Sena (UBT), who was present during the assault, later justified the incident. “If anyone dares to insult the Marathi language, Maharashtra, or Marathi people, they will get a reply in the true Shiv Sena style. We will not sit silent,” he said. “The driver had the audacity to speak ill of Maharashtra and Marathi manoos. He was taught a befitting lesson. We made him apologise to the people of the state and to those he had offended.”
Despite the public nature of the assault, Palghar district police have yet to register an official complaint. “We have seen the viral video and are verifying the facts, but as of now, no complaint has been received from either party,” police officials told news agency PTI.
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