Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers on Thursday, July 24, forcibly removed Gujarati signboards of several hotels along the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway in Thane and Palghar districts, demanding Marathi signage. The Palghar district of Maharashtra shares a border with Gujarat.
Gujarati Language Signboards Removed by MNS Workers
A video shared on social media shows one of the MNS supporters smashing the Gujarati board of a Dhaba near Haloli village. According to reports, in fear of this, several hotels covered their Gujarati boards with black cloth. According to FPJ, action was taken on the instructions of MNS Palghar district president Avinash Jadhav and Vasai MNS leader Prashant Khambe.
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The agitation came soon after a row over making Hindi, along with Marathi and English, mandatory at primary schools in the state.
The MNS had earlier launched an agitation against English signboards in Mumbai and Thane, pointing out that, as per state regulations, businesses operating in Maharashtra must display signboards in Marathi in a prominent font, irrespective of any other language used.