Caught on camera: traders slapped, forced India news to apologize for not speaking Marathi in the army UBT office in Thane
New Delhi: Another disturbing video of Maharashtra has surfaced, a few days after the attack by MNS workers by MNS workers on the language, this time Rajan Vicha, former MP and senior leaders of Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) were included.In now-viral clips, Vichade is seen to call traders at his office in Thane, where his supporters slapped and humiliated him for allegedly not speaking in Marathi. The men were reportedly forced to publicly apologize and they were repeatedly said to use Marathi while doing business in the state.In a widely shared video on social media, Vichade is shown sitting peacefully as his party workers face traders. Forgiveness and shouting to a supporter, “Speak in Marathi!”The incident follows a stressful week in Maharashtra, where language politics has erupted. MNS activists attacked a North Indian shopkeeper in Meera Road to not use Marathi, the market in the region remained closed in protest against one day. Traders and local communities demanded security and accountability from the state.In response to backlash, Aditya Thackeray attempted damage control, telling the media, “I spoke to Rajan Vicha Ji. He said that it was not a Marathi vs. non-Marathi issue. It started when a party worker was not allowed to charge his phone, and the logic increased.”But critics are not buying it. Visual evidence otherwise suggests, and many have indicated the growing pattern of linguistic vigilance, which are now cutting into political groups.
