MNS Rampage Continues As Raj Thackeray Partymen Assault Shopkeeper For 'Anti-Marathi Post'
MNS workers in Mumbai's Vikhroli assaulted a Marwadi shopkeeper for an allegedly offensive WhatsApp status against the Marathi community.
Tensions flared in Mumbai’s Vikhroli area after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers allegedly assaulted a Marwadi shopkeeper for reportedly posting a WhatsApp status deemed “insulting to the Marathi community.”
In a video that has since gone viral, a group of MNS members is seen surrounding the shopkeeper outside his store, confronting him over the post. The footage shows the man being physically assaulted and coerced into publicly apologising. With folded hands and holding his ears, the visibly shaken shopkeeper pleaded for forgiveness from the Marathi community.
The MNS workers in the video can also be heard issuing warnings to others against “disrespecting” the Marathi language and culture. They reportedly urged locals to boycott shops owned by those who 'insult' Marathi people.
तुम्ही इथे येऊन अशी भाषा वापराल तर तुम्हाला त्याच भाषेत उत्तर मिळणार. तुला कोलला ! pic.twitter.com/xSGFk201Ts
— MNS Videos (@mnsvideos) July 16, 2025
This is not an isolated incident. In recent days, MNS workers have allegedly targeted several individuals across Mumbai and its suburbs for not speaking in Marathi or for perceived slights against the language. In Thane, a food stall owner was allegedly beaten for not using Marathi while interacting with customers. The accused were arrested but released on bail within hours.
In another case in Mira Road, a shopkeeper faced similar violence. A migrant autorickshaw driver was also reportedly assaulted for refusing to converse in Marathi.
The Raj Thackeray-led MNS has long championed Marathi language rights and cultural identity, but the recent spate of alleged assaults has sparked concern over vigilantism and the growing trend of language-based targeting.
Police investigations are underway in all the incidents. Authorities have yet to release a formal statement regarding the latest Vikhroli episode. Meanwhile, the incidents have reignited a larger debate on regional identity, freedom of expression, and the limits of political activism in a diverse and multilingual state like Maharashtra.
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