NEW DELHI, Apr 8: Though the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has said he was withdrawing the call for “speak Marathi” agitation, it does not seem to have reached the party workers on the streets.
Two women, one of them carrying a baby in her arms, were on Tuesday beaten up in Dombivli in the district for allegedly saying “excuse me” instead of speaking in Marathi. As a video of the incident went viral, police said they were conducting preliminary probe.
The incident took place in the morning when the women, who were on a two-wheeler, were entering the premises of the housing society where they lived. When the woman who was riding the scooter said “excuse me” to a young man who was obstructing the entrance, he allegedly took offence, demanding that she speak in Marathi, she claimed.
The man, who lives on the ground floor of the same building, allegedly twisted the arm of the pillion rider, they said in a complaint filed at Vishnunagar police station. Four five women and two young men from his family gathered and allegedly beat up the two women. Eyewitnesses said they showed no concern for the nine-month-old baby.
‘Excuse me’ is a common courtesy and the accused’s reaction was unwarranted, the complainant said. Senior inspector Sanjay Pawar of Vishnu Nagar police station said the investigation was underway. No First Information Report has been registered yet, he said, adding that police were probing if the incident arose from a past dispute.
Workers of the MNS had recently launched an agitation demanding that staff at banks in Maharashtra should speak to customers in Marathi. The United Forum of Bank Unions wrote to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, stating that people claiming to be MNS activists have been visiting bank branches and intimidating staff. Thackeray later asked his workers to cease the agitation.
(Manas Dasgupta)
