Two women, including one holding a baby, were allegedly beaten up in Dombivli on Tuesday for saying “excuse me” instead of speaking in Marathi.
After a video of the incident went viral, police said a preliminary investigation is underway.
The incident happened in the morning when the two women, riding a two-wheeler, were entering the premises of their housing society.
One of them, who was riding the scooter, said “excuse me” to a young man standing in the way. The man allegedly got offended and insisted she speak in Marathi, the woman claimed.
According to the complaint filed at Vishnunagar police station, the man, who lives on the ground floor of the same building, allegedly twisted the arm of the woman sitting on the back seat of the scooter.
According to the complaint, four or five women and two young men from the accused’s family gathered and allegedly assaulted the two women. Eyewitnesses noted that the attackers showed no concern for the nine-month-old baby being held by one of the victims. The complainant added that saying “excuse me” was a basic courtesy and the reaction by the accused was completely unjustified.
Senior inspector Sanjay Pawar of Vishnu Nagar police station told PTI that investigation was underway.
No First Information Report has been registered yet, he said, adding that police were probing if the incident arose from a past dispute.
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 United Forum of Bank Unions wrote to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, stating that people claiming to be MNS activists have been visiting bank branches and intimidating staff. Thackeray later asked his workers to cease the agitation.