A food stall owner in Maharashtra's Thane district was beaten up allegedly by activists of a regional political party for not speaking in Marathi, police said on Wednesday.
The incident took place on Tuesday in Bhayander area.
A video of the incident, which went viral on social media on Tuesday night, showed some of the attackers wearing scarves having the symbol of the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.
While purchasing food, one of the them asked the stall owner to speak in Marathi, to which he questioned them back.
This annoyed the man, who shouted at the stall owner. Some others who were with the man joined him and slapped the stall owner, a police official said.
Based on the stall owner's complaint, the Kashimira police registered an FIR against unidentified persons under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and a probe was on into the case, the official said.
Members of the MNS have been trying to push for the use of Marathi language in commercial establishments and banks in the state.
© 2025