2 women assaulted for saying ‘excuse me’ amid Marathi vs non-Marathi tension

In Maharashtra’s Dombivali, two women were assaulted for reportedly saying “excuse me” in English rather than using Marathi. This event occurs amid rising tensions between Marathi and non-Marathi-speaking groups in the area.

The event ignited fury, particularly after footage of the attack spread rapidly on social media.

Poonam Gupta and Geeta Chauhan were riding a two-wheeler as they neared the entrance of their residential society. Geeta, riding her scooter, requested a man blocking the entrance to step aside by saying “excuse me.” The man, residing on the ground floor of the same building, supposedly took offense at her English and insisted she speak in Marathi, which Geeta declined to do.

Describing the incident, Poonam said that the man twisted Geeta’s arm. “Soon after, several members of the man’s family, including both women and men, gathered and beat up both of us,” she said.

Poonam was carrying her 9-month-old baby at the time of the incident, yet the attackers exhibited no care. When Poonam’s spouse Ankit Chauhan and his companion arrived to protect the women, the attackers struck Ankit’s head with a metal rod.

As the footage of the assault circulated on social media, the Vishnunagar police initiated a preliminary inquiry. Senior Inspector Sanjay Pawar verified that they are investigating the incident, but no First Information Report (FIR) has been made so far. The complainants stressed that “excuse me” is a standard polite expression and criticized the accused’s response, declaring it entirely unjustified.

Authorities are also looking into whether the event is related to any previous conflicts.

The event occurs during a strong campaign for Marathi in the state by Raj Thackeray’s MNS party. Recently, members of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) initiated a campaign urging bank staff in the state to communicate with clients in Marathi.

The unrest resulted in instances of intimidation at bank branches, as MNS activists coerced employees to meet the demand. The United Forum of Bank Unions reached out to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, voicing their worries about these occurrences.

Thackeray subsequently directed his team to pause the protest for the time being, stating that they had “generated sufficient awareness”.