Five Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers were arrested on Friday afternoon, July 5, for vandalising the office of businessman and investment analyst Sushil Kedia in Mumbai's Worli, a day after his X (formerly Twitter) post claiming he had lived in the city for 30 years without learning Marathi language. According to the news agency IANS, Mumbai Police registered a case against the five MNS workers. Further investigation is underway, said Mumbai Police.
Shivsena UBT leader and MLA Sunil Raut said, "I support the action taken by MNS workers. If someone wants to live in Maharashtra, in Mumbai, they must know Marathi."
Kedia, after the attack on his office, apologised to Raj Thackeray for his social media remarks on the Marathi language and said his mind was not in the right state at the time of his social comment. He also praised the MNS chief as a 'hero'. “I have always had a deep sense of appreciation and gratitude for Mr. Raj Thackeray for the strong issues he raises, for the strength with which he stands up for matters concerning all of us. He’s always been a hero," Kedia said in a video shared on X.
The attack on Kedia's office took place early on Saturday over his post saying, "I don’t know Marathi properly even after living for 30 years in Mumbai. Threatening me by 100 of your party workers is not going to make me a fluent Marathi speaker."
His remark drew criticism from MNS. On its official X handle, the party reposted General Secretary Manoj Chavan’s message: “If you live in Maharashtra and act superior by not speaking Marathi, I'll give you a tight slap!” MNS city chief Sandeep Deshpande added, “Do business if you're a businessman, don't try to act like our boss. If you insult Marathi in Maharashtra, you'll get a slap, otherwise, stay in your lane, Mehta or whoever. That's all for now.”
Kedia later tagged the police and senior leaders, saying, “I'm receiving calls from several police stations... offering me protection, but under that pretext, they're asking for my location. This appears to be a dirty operation already underway, baying for my blood.”