Traders protest MNS slap politics in Mira Road
The assault on Babulal Khimaji Chaudhary, 48, owner of Jodhpur Sweet Mart, took place on June 29. Protesting traders on Thursday assembled in the Shanti Park area, fearing they would be targeted next as many of them are Gujaratis and Marwadis, and are not conversant in Marathi.
The traders said that even though their home state was not Maharashtra, they had been living in Mira-Bhayander for decades. 'It is not that we do not respect Maharashtra and Marathi,' said Karan Rajput, member of the local shopkeepers' association.
'We want justice for the victim and an assurance that we will be able to stay and continue our business without fear,' said Rajput.
The protest, which lasted two hours, ended when Prakash Gaikwad, deputy commissioner of police, assured the shop owners that action would be taken against the accused in the assault.
The Incident
At around 10:35 pm on June 29, seven men walked into Babulal Chaudhary's shop. Well-built, bearded and 20-30 years old, they were sporting a scarf bearing the MNS symbol and name.
The men asked the cashier for a bottle of water. When he couldn't converse in Marathi, the men verbally abused everyone in the shop. They said, 'If you don't know Marathi, don't live in Maharashtra. If you don't speak in Marathi, we will beat everyone and drive them away, and we will break and burn down your shop.'
Chaudhary demanded to know what government rule required people to speak in Marathi. In response, the men asked Chaudhary what language was spoken in Maharashtra. When he replied, 'All languages,' they grew very angry and slapped and punched Chaudhary in the face, head and neck. 'They threatened to wreck my shop, and burn me along with it,' he said.
'When a crowd began to assemble, seven or eight more people from the MNS party arrived and took away the men who had assaulted me,' said Chaudhary.
He said one of the goons recorded the incident on his mobile phone and that the video was widely circulated allegedly by MNS party workers.
The Law
Kashimira police have charged the accused with voluntarily causing harm and unlawful assembly under the BNS. Later, CCTV footage helped identify the goons. Notices have been to all the accused. Two of them have previous cases of assault pending, and their cases will be escalated to the DCP level, police said.
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