Tensions Rise as MNS Activists Allegedly Assault Food Stall Operator

In Kalyan, Thane district, MNS activists allegedly assaulted a food stall operator over derogatory comments against Marathi people and Raj Thackeray. The incident, captured in a viral video, highlights ongoing tensions in the region. Law enforcement has intensified surveillance, though no formal complaint has been reported.

In the Kalyan area of Thane district, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) activists allegedly assaulted a food stall operator, accusing him of making derogatory remarks against Marathi people and MNS leader Raj Thackeray. The altercation, which occurred at a hotel in Durgamata Mandir Chowk, was captured in a viral video that prompted police to increase law and order monitoring in the area.

The video shows MNS's Kalyan (East) office-bearer, Kush Rajput, and other members confronting the operator of a south Indian food outlet and allegedly assaulting him. The operator was coerced into apologizing and pledging not to make similar remarks in the future. This incident follows a similar case in the Mira Bhayandar area, where MNS workers thrashed a north Indian sweet shop owner for not speaking Marathi, leading to a filed police report.

These events occur amid rising attacks on north Indian migrants in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, which have increased in the context of debates over the state's three-language policy. Controversy surrounding the imposition of Hindi in schools led to the Mahayuti government retracting related resolutions in June, underlining the linguistic tensions pervading Maharashtra.

(With inputs from agencies.)