• Source:JND
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An auto-rickshaw driver in Maharashtra’s Palghar district was allegedly beaten in public by supporters of Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) and Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) after he refused to speak in Marathi.

A video of the incident, which has gone viral, shows the driver, a migrant, arguing with another migrant from Uttar Pradesh, identified as Bhavesh Padolia, at Virar station. In the video, the auto driver states that he prefers to speak only in Hindi when questioned about not using Marathi.

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Padolia had questioned the driver about why he wasn’t speaking Marathi in public. In response, the driver said he would not speak Marathi and preferred to use Bhojpuri and Hindi instead.

Following this exchange, supporters of Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) confronted the auto-rickshaw driver near Virar railway station.

A video of the confrontation, which went viral on social media, shows the driver being repeatedly slapped by the men. He was forced to apologise and chant slogans in Marathi.

Sena (UBT) Virar city chief, Uday Jadhav, who was reportedly present at the scene, admitted that the group had “responded in true Shiv Sena style.”

This incident is the latest in a series of language-related assaults reported in Maharashtra, where political tensions over the promotion of Marathi have been gaining momentum.

Earlier, on July 1, a street food vendor was slapped by MNS workers for allegedly refusing to speak in Marathi. Seven individuals were later arrested in connection with the incident.

In Mumbai’s Mira Road suburb, seven MNS workers allegedly slapped and threatened 48-year-old shopkeeper Babulal Chaudhary, who runs the Jodhpur Sweet Shop. The confrontation began after one of his staff members, Bagharam, a migrant from Rajasthan, spoke to the MNS men in Hindi.

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The workers demanded that both Chaudhary and Bagharam speak in Marathi. However, Chaudhary reportedly responded by saying that all languages are spoken in Maharashtra. The MNS workers then allegedly assaulted him and recorded a video of the incident.