By Diana George
A video that recently went viral from Thane showed a riveting scene: visibly nervous men approaching another with folded hands, touching his feet and then apologising as the man proceeds to slap them. They are then told to hold their ears, face the camera, and admit they “made a mistake and won’t repeat it”. At one point, a man tries to speak but is cut short by another saying: “Marathi mein bol, Marathi ko mara na? Marathi mein bol.” The video, shot at the office of former Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Rajan Vichare, features his aides mediating what began as a local altercation — but has now snowballed into a flashpoint in Maharashtra’s ongoing Marathi vs non-Marathi debate. The scuffle took place inside a mobile shop in Thane on July 1. According to the shop staff, 43-year-old Kiran Tanaji Sawant had walked in to get his phone recharged. A technical issue reportedly delayed the process, leading Sawant to lose his temper and create a scene. A confrontation followed, and Sawant was allegedly injured in the scuffle with four to five staffers. He later filed a police complaint, following which a case was registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita dealing with causing hurt. Four employees were detained and released after being served notice. But what could’ve remained a local dispute soon turned into a political firestorm. Once the matter reached Rajan Vichare’s office, it transformed into a performance of public penance — filmed, circulated, and widely condemned. Sawant, the complainant, was seen receiving apologies from the shop staff, and then slapping each accused in return. The timing of the video’s emergence has added fuel to an already simmering fire. Just days earlier, supporters of the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) were seen assaulting a shopkeeper who allegedly refused to speak Marathi. Amid the outrage, politicians remain divided. While some argue that those who come to Maharashtra for work must “respect and learn Marathi,” others have warned against language vigilantism and coercion. Several leaders have urged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to act before the situation escalates further.