What started as a verbal spat over a seat in a Mumbai local train escalated into a full-blown 'Marathi vs Hindi' fight between two groups of passengers, with a woman telling another group of female passengers to speak Marathi or "get out."
The incident took place inside a crowded local train compartment in the Central Line of the Maharashtra capital, where two groups of women could be seen engaged in a verbal spat. A video of the incident has also surfaced on the internet.
The 17-second video, which is now viral, showed half a dozen women engaged in a verbal spat inside the crowded compartment.
The video begins with a woman, outside of the camera frame, abusing another group of passengers. One of the women, engaged in the verbal fight, can be heard saying, "If you want to live in Mumbai, speak Marathi, or else get out." The other group of women is also seen engaged in the altercation.
The Railway authorities have reportedly confirmed the incident and said that the incident took place in the ladies' compartment of a train under the Central Railways.
{{/usCountry}}The Railway authorities have reportedly confirmed the incident and said that the incident took place in the ladies' compartment of a train under the Central Railways.
{{/usCountry}}However, no formal complaint has been registered in the incident, India Today reported.
Though verbal spats and minor disputes are not uncommon in jam-packed Mumbai local train, the incident escalated over the Marathi language amid the ongoing language row in Maharashtra.
The state has recently witnessed political temperatures rising over the 'Marathi vs Hindi' issue, with parties like Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) raking up the issue ahead of the civic polls in the state.
Recently, a shopkeeper in Mumbai’s Vikroli was allegedly assaulted by MNS workers on Thursday for posting a WhatsApp status "insulting the Marathi community".
In a similar incident, MNS members were captured on camera allegedly assaulting a food stall owner in Thane for not speaking in Marathi. Another shopkeeper was also beaten up at Mira Road in Mumbai over a similar issue. An autorickshaw driver was also assaulted for not speaking in Marathi.