Hundreds joined a rally organised by the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and allied pro-Marathi groups in Mira Bhayandar, Thane district, on Tuesday to assert Marathi 'Asmita' (pride), following recent assaults on non-Marathi speakers that have stirred political tensions across Maharashtra.
In a striking development, leaders and workers from the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) participated in the protest, despite initial police refusal to permit the march due to law and order concerns.
The rally, coordinated under the banner of the Marathi Ekikaran Samiti, was intended to counter a protest staged earlier by local traders against an MNS worker’s assault on a food stall owner for not speaking Marathi.
Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) minister Pratap Sarnaik faced a hostile crowd when he arrived at the protest site in the afternoon. Protesters heckled him and shouted "Gaddar" (traitor), forcing him to leave the scene. Some accused him of previously speaking against the interests of the Marathi-speaking population.
High drama unfolded as several demonstrators were detained, including women who were filmed being bundled into police vans while chanting slogans in support of Marathi pride. Police also confined several activists inside a banquet hall to prevent them from reaching the protest site.
Despite police resistance, the morcha proceeded along the route originally proposed by organisers, reportedly following political intervention at a higher level.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis attempted to defuse the situation, stating that the MNS had refused to accept the route permitted by the authorities.
“If they apply for a proper route, we will grant permission—today or even tomorrow,” Fadnavis told reporters. “Another group held a rally on the approved route, but the MNS insisted on taking a particular path, which posed law and order concerns.”
Minister Sarnaik later criticised the police action, saying it was “uncalled for” and not sanctioned by the government. “The police’s behaviour was completely wrong.
This was a peaceful protest in support of Marathi people, and it should not have been suppressed,” he said, adding that he would raise the matter with the chief minister.
The rally saw large numbers of people, including women and youth, waving flags and placards and wearing white caps emblazoned with “Me Marathi” slogans. Participants marched from Balaji Square to Major Kaustubh Rane memorial near Mira Road railway station.
Anger was also directed at the BJP-led state government for allegedly favouring the earlier traders' rally while denying permission for the pro-Marathi demonstration.
“The common people will teach them a lesson soon for their hatred towards Marathi people,” said one protester. Another participant, Sana Deshmukh, wearing a hijab, said, “The government cannot suppress the voice of Marathi speakers.”
The controversy follows a recent incident in which MNS workers assaulted a food vendor in Mira Bhayandar for not speaking Marathi. Videos of the incident went viral, sparking nationwide condemnation.
MNS activists also damaged the office door of Mumbai-based investor Sushil Kedia in Worli after he publicly declared he would not speak Marathi and challenged MNS chief Raj Thackeray.
The language debate intensified after the Maharashtra government revoked two government resolutions that sought to introduce Hindi as a third language in primary schools. The rollback came amid protests led by Raj Thackeray and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray, who last week shared a stage for the first time in 20 years.
The matter further escalated after BJP MP Nishikant Dubey made controversial remarks, challenging the Thackerays to try similar actions in Hindi-speaking states, warning that they would be “thrashed black and blue”.
Former BJP MP and Bhojpuri actor Dinesh Lal Yadav, alias Nirhua, also joined the row, daring the Thackerays to remove him from Mumbai for speaking his native language.
As tensions simmered, Mira Bhayandar Vasai Virar Police released MNS leader Avinash Jadhav and hundreds of activists detained earlier. However, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone I) Prakash Gaikwad maintained, “We had not granted permission for the morcha earlier, and we have not done so even now.”
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