Thane, Maharashtra (April 8, 2025): Two women were allegedly beaten up in Dombivli on Tuesday for saying "excuse me" instead of speaking in Marathi. Disputes over Marathi and non-Marathi languages have occurred in the past. However, this incident, sparked by the use of a common English phrase, has now become a topic of discussion. A video of the assault has gone viral on social media.
The incident took place at the Ganesh Shraddha building in Old Dombivli West on Monday around 9:30 p.m. The incident occurred around 9:30 p.m. on Monday at Ganesh Shraddha building in Old Dombivli. Poonam Gupta and her friend Geeta Chauhan, both residents of B Wing in the building, were returning home on a two-wheeler when they encountered Anil Pawar and his wife standing in the middle of the entrance. Poonam said "excuse me" to ask them to move aside. The couple got angry and asked her to speak in Marathi. They then started assaulting Poonam and Geeta. Geeta’s sister, who arrived at the scene, was also attacked. According to the complaint, Babasaheb Dhabale and his son Ritesh, relatives of the accused and residents of A Wing, later joined in and also assaulted the women.
The incident comes amid ongoing tensions over the use of Marathi. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), led by Raj Thackeray, recently demanded that bank staff in Maharashtra communicate with customers in Marathi. The United Forum of Bank Unions wrote to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, alleging that individuals claiming to be MNS activists had been visiting bank branches and pressuring staff. Thackeray later instructed his workers to stop the campaign.
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Raj Thackeray to MNS Workers in a Letter:
“To all my Maharashtra Sainiks Jai Maharashtra! First off, hats off to you for once again raising a powerful voice for Marathi in Maharashtra. At the Gudi Padwa rally, I’d ordered you to check if banks in Maharashtra were transacting in Marathi—and if not, to make their administrations sit up and take notice. From the very next day, you hit the ground running, storming banks statewide and insisting on Marathi. It was impressive—not only did it send a loud message that no one can take the Marathi language or Marathi manoos for granted, but it also showcased the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena’s organizational muscle. But there’s no harm in hitting pause on this movement now. We’ve stirred up enough awareness, and we’ve shown what happens when Marathi is ignored. At this point, it’s on the Marathi people to keep pushing. If our community’s too timid to demand it themselves, why should we keep fighting their battles? The real responsibility lies with the government. They’re well aware of the Reserve Bank of India’s rule allowing regional languages like Marathi in banking—they need to enforce it. Yesterday, the Chief Minister told the media, ‘We won’t let anyone take the law into their own hands.’ Fair enough—we don’t want to, either. But if you’re the guardian of the law, isn’t it your job to implement the RBI’s rule? Make banks and other establishments respect Marathi, and we won’t have to step in. So, Maharashtra Sainiks, let’s hold off on the protests for now—but don’t let this issue fade away! And to the government: if the rules aren’t followed, and the Marathi man keeps getting sidelined or insulted, rest assured my Sainiks will be back to have a word!”
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