In a disturbing incident highlighting growing linguistic tensions in Maharashtra, two women were physically assaulted in Dombivli for allegedly saying “excuse me” in English instead of speaking in Marathi.
The incident took place outside their housing society and has since drawn widespread attention after a video of the attack began circulating on social media.
Poonam Gupta and Geeta Chauhan were riding a two-wheeler when they approached the entrance of their residential complex. As they reached the gate, a man was standing in the way.
Geeta, who was driving the scooter, asked him to move aside by politely saying “excuse me.” This simple phrase, however, allegedly triggered the confrontation.
The man, a resident of the same building’s ground floor, reportedly took offence at the use of English and demanded that the women speak in Marathi. When Geeta refused, the situation quickly escalated.
According to Poonam, the man twisted Geeta’s arm, and soon after, several of his family members—both men and women—joined in and began beating them.
What makes the incident even more alarming is that Poonam was holding her 9-month-old baby during the attack. Despite this, the assailants continued their assault, showing no regard for the safety of the child.
When Poonam’s husband, Ankit Chauhan, arrived with a friend to intervene, he too was attacked. One of the assailants allegedly struck him on the head with a rod.
Following the viral video, the Vishnunagar police launched a preliminary investigation. Senior Inspector Sanjay Pawar confirmed that the matter is under review, though no formal First Information Report (FIR) has been registered yet.
Police are also looking into whether this violent outburst was connected to any previous disagreements between the families involved.
The victims have criticised the attackers’ behaviour, calling it an overreaction to a common and courteous phrase. They stressed that using “excuse me” is a normal part of everyday speech and should not provoke such aggression.
This incident comes at a time when linguistic tensions in Maharashtra are on the rise, particularly in the wake of campaigns by Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) to promote the use of Marathi.
Recently, MNS workers launched a drive urging bank employees to interact with customers in Marathi. This movement led to reports of pressure tactics and intimidation at several bank branches across the state.
The situation escalated to such an extent that the United Forum of Bank Unions wrote to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, expressing concerns over the safety and autonomy of bank staff.
Although Raj Thackeray later directed his workers to pause the agitation, saying that enough awareness had been created, the after-effects of the campaign seem to be lingering.
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