A woman carrying a baby and her friend were thrashed by locals in Maharashtra's Dombivli for allegedly saying “excuse me” instead of speaking in Marathi. A video of the incident went viral on social media showing a group of people attacking the women, one of whom had a baby in her arms, prompting outrage online.
The incident occured when the two women, who were on a two-wheeler, entered the premises of the housing society where they lived. The driver told a young man obstructing the entrance to move aside by saying “excuse me”. The women said that the man took offence at that and demanded that she speak in Marathi.
He then allegedly attacked the woman sitting behing by twisting her arm. As the woman screamed for help, members of the man's family ran out of their home and started beating up the women, the women alleged in their police complaint.
Police register complaint
Eyewitnesses said that the family showed no concern for the nine-month-old baby who was still in the arms of one of the women. “Excuse me” is a common courtesy and the accused's reaction was unwarranted, the complainant said.
Senior inspector Sanjay Pawar of Vishnu Nagar police station told PTI that investigation was underway but no FIR has been registered yet. He said that the police are probing if the incident arose from a past dispute.
{{/usCountry}}Senior inspector Sanjay Pawar of Vishnu Nagar police station told PTI that investigation was underway but no FIR has been registered yet. He said that the police are probing if the incident arose from a past dispute.
{{/usCountry}}Workers of the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) had recently launched an agitation demanding that staff at banks in Maharashtra should speak to customers in Marathi.
The video sparked outrage online with many users calling for strict action against the man and his family. “Clearly things are out of hand. The government must act immediately to this kind of violence and open attacks,” said one of them.
“Stop this violence and hatred in the name of language. Consequences will be beyond anybody’s control if such nonsense is not stopped and culprits punished,” said another user.
(With PTI inputs)