Virar autorickshaw driver allegedly thrashed by Sena (UBT) workers, days after his ‘Marathi nahi bolunga’ video goes viral
It was also alleged that the autorickshaw driver, a migrant, had earlier made derogatory remarks about the Marathi language, Maharashtra, and Marathi icons.
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Police on Sunday said they have seen the video but not received any formal complaint in the matter so far, hence no case has been registered as of now. (Instagram)An autorickshaw driver in Virar town near Mumbai was assaulted and made to apologise allegedly by Shiv Sena (UBT) workers on Saturday, days after a video surfaced showing him refusing to speak in Marathi.
The video, which went viral earlier this week, shows the autorickshaw driver saying in Hindi, “Hindi bolunga, Bhojpuri bolunga, par Marathi nahi bolunga (I’ll speak Hindi. I’ll speak Bhojpuri, but not Marathi).”
He can also be heard telling a passenger, “Main Hindi bolunga, tujhe kya karna hai? Jo karna hai kar le (I’ll speak in Hindi—what will you do about it? Do whatever you want to do).”
As the video of the autorickshaw driver went viral on social media, a group of alleged Sena (UBT) workers confronted him near the Virar railway station on Saturday.
It was also alleged that the autorickshaw driver, a migrant, had earlier made derogatory remarks about the Marathi language, Maharashtra, and Marathi icons. Its video had also gone viral online, drawing sharp reactions, including from local political groups.
The group of people who thrashed the autorickshaw driver also forced him to say, with his hands folded, “I apologise to the people of Maharashtra for insulting Marathi.”
In a video, the autorickshaw driver is seen being slapped by a group of people, including women, on a busy road near the Virar railway station.
No formal complaint has been registered with the police.
However, the incident has reignited debates over linguistic identity, migrant integration, and vigilantism.
This is not the first case of assault on a non-Maharashtrian for not speaking Marathi.
On June 29, a shopkeeper named Babulal Chaudhary was assaulted by a group of workers of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena in neighbouring Mira Road town. The incident has sparked nationwide outrage with non-Marathi speakers as well as MNS and Sena (UBT) workers protesting in the area.
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