By News18
While responding to the assault of a shopkeeper by workers of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said that Marathi should be respected without resorting to violence.
The Chief Minister assured that strict actions will be taken against the culprits, emphasising that violence won鈥檛 be tolerated.
鈥淲e respect Marathi, but violence in its name won鈥檛 be accepted. Strict action will be taken against those resorting to violence. No language in India will be allowed to be disrespected,鈥 he said while addressing the media.
鈥淭he police have filed an FIR and taken action on the incident, and if anyone creates such a language dispute in future, legal action will be taken. We are proud of our Marathi, but injustice cannot be done to any language of India in this manner; we will have to keep this in mind. And sometimes I am surprised that these people embrace English and create disputes over Hindi. What kind of thinking is this, and what kind of action is this? Therefore, strict action will be taken against those who take the law into their own hands,鈥 Fadnavis added.
This comes after a 48-year-old shopkeeper, identified as Babulal Chaudhary, who runs the 鈥楯odhpur Sweer Shop鈥 in Mira Road near Mumbai, was assaulted by the Raj Thackeray-led MNS for asking them why speaking in Marathi should be compulsory.
At around 10:30 am, Chaudhary told the police that the men, wearing clothes with MNS insignia, entered his shop and asked for water. When his worker replied in Hindi, they objected, leading to verbal abuse. The dispute intensified when Chaudhary mentioned that his employees, being from out of state, weren鈥檛 proficient in Marathi.
The situation worsened when the men allegedly asked him which language is spoken in Maharashtra, with Chaudhary responding that all languages are spoken.
The men, reportedly angered by this response, assaulted him and filmed the incident. They warned Chaudhary that he would not be allowed to do business in the area.
An FIR has been registered against seven unidentified men at the Kashimira police station under relevant sections of the IPC.