After a verbal disagreement broke out between female passengers in the ladies’ compartment, allegedly for a seat, a typical trip in a Mumbai local erupted into a furious argument.
A group of Marathi-speaking women allegedly demanded that a fellow passenger cease speaking in Hindi and switch to Marathi, and the argument swiftly descended into a language dispute.
The event happened in a packed compartment and was also caught on camera. One woman can be heard in the video protesting that she should be addressed in Marathi rather than Hindi. The woman’s linguistic choice became a spark as the argument swiftly escalated from an initial argument over seating arrangements to a personal one.
“Speak Marathi if you wish to remain in our Mumbai; if not, leave,” she instructed her.
At a time when Maharashtra is already dealing with a number of language-related issues, the video went viral.
MNS employees are seen in a number of social media videos berating store owners, drivers, and even bank staff for not knowing Marathi.
In one such instance, a medical shop employee who was accused of posting a WhatsApp status that was considered insulting to the Marathi language was physically assaulted and made to publicly apologise.
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A Rajasthani merchant from Vikroli was attacked by local Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) members in a different incident after he allegedly made a WhatsApp status “insulting the Marathi Manoos (Marathi-speaking people)”.
