- By Shibra Arshad
- Mon, 21 Jul 2025 08:47 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
In yet another case of a language row, a woman standing outside her home in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar was forced to speak in Marathi by a group of people. A video of the incident, where a group of men forced a woman to speak in the local language, has surfaced online.
Sanjira Devi was standing in front of her house in Ghatkopar when a group of men blocked the way. The group of men asked Sanjira to speak in Marathi, as she had asked them to give some space, leading to a heated argument between them.
One of the men, raising his finger at her, said, ‘Speak in Marathi. This is Maharashtra,’ as others continued to shout at her.
"No, you talk in Hindi. Tell me, aren't you a Hindustani? Aren't you from Hindustan?" she said.
The men spoke out in synchronisation, ‘Maharashtra, Maharashtra.’
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As they raised their voices, people from around the locality started to gather around, and somebody from among the crowd called the police. The men had already left when police arrived.
Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has been at the forefront of the street campaign to force people to speak in Marathi. For this, they often threaten people to speak in the local language, particularly to those who have come from outside the state and are incapable of speaking Marathi.
Earlier this month, the glass door of the office of share market investor Sushil Kedia was vandalised after he declared he wouldn't speak Marathi.
There has been a surge in these kinds of incidents amid allegations that the state is trying to impose ‘Hindi’ language on Maharashtra under the three-language system under the New-Education Police (NEP).
MNS chief Raj Thackeray and his cousin Uddhav Thackeray held a "victory" rally on July 5 and reunited after 20 years, after the state government announced that it was not planning to impose Hindi in early education.