'Aren't you from Hindustan?' Maharashtra woman's retort to Marathi enforcers
What's the story
In another incident of language vigilantism in Mumbai, a woman was confronted by a group of men demanding she speak in Marathi. The incident took place in Ghatkopar and was caught on video. The woman, identified as Sanjira Devi, was standing outside her house when she noticed the men blocking her way. When she asked them to move, they demanded that she speak in Marathi instead.
Language demand
'Tell me, aren't you a Hindustani?'
The men insisted she speak in Marathi, with one man pointing a finger at her and saying, "Speak in Marathi. This is Maharashtra." Despite the pressure, Devi refused to back down and asked them to speak in Hindi instead. She asked, "Tell me, aren't you a Hindustani? Aren't you from Hindustan?" The man replied with "Maharashtra, Maharashtra," as tensions escalated.
Police response
Crowd gathered around the scene, men fled before police arrived
As the argument intensified, a crowd gathered around the scene, and someone called the police. However, by the time law enforcement arrived at the spot, the men had already fled, Times Now reported. This incident is not an isolated one, as similar cases of language imposition have been reported in Mumbai earlier.
Twitter Post
Watch video of incident here
मुंबई के घाटकोपर इलाके में एक बार फिर मराठी और गैर मराठी आमने सामने.।
— Vivek Gupta (@imvivekgupta) July 20, 2025
महिला को मराठी नहीं थी, और मराठी लोग उस पर मराठी बोलने का दबाव डाल रहे थे.
जिसके बाद महिला भी काफी गुस्से में आई और बोली वो हिंदी में ही बोलेगी, यह हिंदुस्तान है. pic.twitter.com/NhtCLShJE4
Campaign impact
MNS behind similar campaigns
The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), led by Raj Thackeray, has been behind similar "speak in Marathi" campaigns that often target non-Marathi speakers. Earlier this month, alleged MNS workers assaulted a shopkeeper near Mumbai for not speaking Marathi. In another incident, investor Sushil Kedia's office was vandalized after he announced he wouldn't communicate in the language. These events come against the backdrop of criticism of the state government for allegedly promoting Hindi through the National Education Policy's three-language formula.