Now, MNS workers assault Pune man for ‘objectionable' social media post about Raj Thackeray

Mint

03-07-2025

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers allegedly assaulted a man in Pune's Vanaz area for posting objectionable content against party chief Raj Thackeray on social media.
According to a Pune Times Mirror report, the man, identified as Kedar Soman, was allegedly beaten up by the MNS workers and later handed over to the police. The incident caused temporary tension in the area, prompting police intervention.
According to the report, Soman was tracked down by the MNS workers after he shared a post on social media criticising Raj Thackeray. Local police has taken Soman into custody and is probing the case to determine whether legal action will be taken against those involved, the report added.
A group of men, reportedly MNS workers, allegedly assaulted a shop owner for refusing to speak in Marathi on Tuesday in the Bhayander area of Maharashtra's Thane.
The viral video showed that the men slapped the shop owner several times after he was asked 'Which language is spoken in the state'. The shop owner's response, who was talking in Hindi, that 'all languages' infuriated the men who had visited his shop to buy food, as reported by PTI.
According to a Hindustan Times report, the incident occurred shortly after the Maharashtra government withdrew its orders on the implementation of the three-language policy in the state, which lead to the opposition terming it as 'Hindi imposition'.
The row over the three-language policy began when the Maharashtra government, on April 16, passed a resolution that mandated Hindi as the compulsory third language in Marathi and English-medium schools.
However, in response to the backlash, the government revised the policy on June 17 through an amended resolution, stating, 'Hindi will be the third language. For those who want to learn another language, at least 20 willing students are required.'
A committee will share its report on Maharashtra's three-language policy with the state government in three months, a Government Resolution (GR) by the Maharashtra School Education and Sports Department said.
According to the GR, the committee members will be appointed by the government soon.
The committee will study the report by the Dr Raghunath Mashelkar committee and discuss the issue with the concerned constituents, institutions, and people. The committee will study the other States and Union Territories that have adopted the National Education Policy 2020, news agency ANI reported.
(With inputs from agencies)