A new language dispute has arisen in Maharashtra after a bank employee was threatened by members of the Maharashtra NavnirmanSena (MNS) for not knowing Marathi. This incident occurred at a Bank of Maharashtra branch in Mumbai’s Mahim area and has led to a strong reaction on social media after a video went viral.
MNS leader threatens bank employee for not knowing Marathi
In the video, MNS leader Anish Khandagale confronts a bank official for using Hindi. Reports show Marathi-speaking young man had been visiting the Bank of Maharashtra branch for about a month to seek a loan. He had allegedly told MNS leaders that the non-Marathi official was neither processing his request nor communicating with him properly.
After receiving the complaint, MNS workers came to the bank and pressured the employee to speak in Marathi. The official calmly responded, saying, “Nahi aati mujhe Marathi. Hindi aati hai,” and noted that there was no rule requiring bank employees to speak it.
Spark language debate in Maharashtra
The workers replied, “You work in Bank of Maharashtra… speak Marathi,” and demanded his immediate transfer while threatening to hold a protest at the branch the next day at 12 PM.
It later became known that the bank employee is from Madhya Pradesh. This incident has reignited the ongoing language debate in the state. Many users have praised the officer’s calm response. One viral comment said, “Salute to the bank officer for giving a proper reply with calmness.”
This incident is not an single one. Maharashtra has seen several similar events in recent years, including an attack on a sweet shop owner and the beating of a 19-year-old boy on a local train for speaking Hindi.
Read also: Man Breaks Down at Indore SDM Office Over Voter List Deletion