'Apologise to Raj Thackeray': Toilet attendant beaten for not speaking in Marathi - Watch viral video

Incidents of violence over language continue to make headlines in Maharashtra, with yet another man reportedly assaulted for refusing to speak Marathi. The latest case comes from Nanded, where workers allegedly linked to Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) confronted and slapped a public toilet attendant after he refused to converse in Marathi.

A video that has gone viral on social media shows a man confronting a toilet attendant at a public bus stop in Nanded, Maharashtra, over allegations that women were being charged ₹5 to use the facility.

The man begins filming the encounter, asking the attendant for his name. The worker refuses to share it and retorts, asking if the man considers himself “some big shot.” When the man says he plans to complain, the attendant responds in Hindi, telling him to leave.

This triggers the man to insist the worker speak in Marathi. The attendant replies, “What will you do if I don’t? What will you do? Go.” A woman standing beside the man also gets involved in the argument. The man filming then declares that he’ll show the worker what he’s capable of.

In a second video, the same man is seen approaching what appears to be the ticket counter at the bus stand. He questions the staff there, asking if the use of the public toilet is free for women. When they say it is, he says he plans to show the video to people connected to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray.

“Whether it is free or not, whether he should speak in Marathi or not, the man will know tomorrow. He’s charging ₹5 from women,” the man says.

Later, workers allegedly associated with MNS are seen confronting the toilet attendant. In the video, they punch and slap him multiple times. The workers then force him to publicly apologise, saying “Apologise to Raj Thackeray.”

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‘You Are Abusing Women?’
 

A follow-up video, recorded the day after the initial confrontation, shows a disturbing escalation of the incident involving a toilet worker in Nanded, Maharashtra. In the footage, the man is surrounded inside the public toilet by a group of men, one of whom is seen punching him in the face.

As another individual attempts to step in and stop the assault, the group slaps the worker three times while questioning him: “You are abusing women? Will you speak in Marathi or not? Do you know Marathi?”

One of the men adds, “You don’t know Marathi? If you had said you don’t know the language and that you were learning, would we be here?”

The video captures the worker falling at the men’s feet and apologising. He is then led out of the toilet.

The attackers, now visibly wearing scarves bearing the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) name and symbol, proceed to humiliate the man further. They force him to hold his ears and repeat a statement in Marathi: “I apologise to the Marathi people and Raj Thackeray. I will not make such a mistake again.”

One of the men is heard telling him, “You will learn Marathi, right? Learn it quickly.”

Language Row

The incident is the latest in a string of assaults reportedly linked to language enforcement by MNS workers, reigniting concerns over rising linguistic vigilantism in the state.

Earlier this month, a shopkeeper in Mumbai was caught on camera being assaulted for not speaking Marathi. In Palghar, an auto-rickshaw driver was publicly beaten over the same issue. On July 1, MNS workers were seen slapping a street food vendor for his refusal to speak the language.

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The Marathi language issue came into the spotlight earlier this month during protests by the MNS and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), who claimed there was a “Hindi imposition” in Maharashtra under the excuse of enforcing the three-language policy.

The situation escalated in Thane when MNS workers slapped a shopkeeper several times after he questioned them about why speaking in Marathi should be compulsory.