Mumbai: The video of two employees, of a D-Mart store in Mumbai’s Versova area, being assaulted by members of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) for refusing to speak Marathi, has gone viral.
The incident occurred on Tuesday after a customer at the store demanded that an employee speak to him in Marathi. The employee allegedly replied that he would not do so.
“I shall not speak Marathi. I shall speak in Hindi. Do whatever you wish to do,” the store employee told the customer, according to the video.
The customer then left and informed the MNS. The party’s Versova unit president Sandesh Desai turned up soon enough with his supporters and accosted the employee and the floor manager.
The video shows them surrounded by Desai and his men. The customer is also present. The MNS leader is then seen admonishing the two for not speaking Marathi. People standing behind the two, keep on slapping them.
Finally, the two are made to hold their ears and apologise to the customer. One of the employees is also forced to do sit-ups. The customer also steps forward and slaps one of the employees.
The incident took place a day after Shiv Sainiks vandalised a club in Khar, Mumbai, where stand up comedian Kunal Kamra had recorded a show. In that show, Kamra had called Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde (without naming him) a Gaddar (traitor).
The incident led to FIRs being lodged against Kamra and several Shiv Sainiks getting arrested for the vandalism. Civics authorities later demolished part of the club that had been declared illegal in the past.
The MNS, ever since its inception, has been advocating the use of Marathi across the state, particularly in the service sector. In 2022, a resturant manager in Navi Mumbai was assaulted by the MNS for his inability to play Marathi songs, as demanded by a customer.
