Insult of Marathi people will not be tolerated: Maharashtra govt

The alleged attack on a couple by a government employee in Thane District of Maharashtra figured during the winter session of the state legislature in Nagpur where the Bharatiya Janata Party BJPled Mahayuti regime asserted that insult of Marathi people will not be toleratedThe opposition vociferously raised the issue of alleged assault on two members of a Marathi family by a Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation MTDC employee and his wife who are neighbours of the victims following a dispute in KalyanThe Thane Police said that the government employee identified as Akhilesh Shukla has surrenderedSpeaking in the legislative council Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that a case was registered against the 48yearold MTDC staffer and his wife over the attack and the process to suspend him had been initiatedAccording to news agency PTI besides the Shuklas the first information report FIR registered in the case has also named some other persons involved in the assault on the victimsThe issue was raised by Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray legislator Anil Parab in the Upper House of the legislature in Nagpur the states second capitalNo injustice will be done to Marathi people CM FadnavisShukla told the victims he works in Mantralaya state secretariat and several Marathi staffers clean his office Parab said claiming that incidents of Marathi people facing discrimination from those coming from other states were increasingAccording to PTI Parab also claimed that Marathi people face attacks during train travel or are denied homes in housing societies owing to their food choicesSuch incidents were on the rise in Mumbai Pune Kalyan and other parts of the state after the BJP came to power the opposition Member of Legislative Council MLC allegedAccording to PTI Congress legislator Bhai Jagtap alleged that the accused also made derogatory remarks about Marathi people while Nationalist Congress Party Sharadchandra Pawar MLC Shashikant Shinde claimed that an unwritten rule of not allowing nonvegetarian people prevails in housing societies in MumbaiResponding to the controversy Fadnavis said an FIR has already been registered at the Khadakpada Police Station in Thane district and Shukla will be suspended from his jobNo injustice will be done to Marathi people the Maharashtra CM assured the houseBreed of Maharashtra haters have cropped up in state Raj ThackerayHe also stated that the Constitution gives everyone the right to choose ones food and no one has the right to deny anyone a home based on eating habitsThis discrimination will not be tolerated Fadnavis asserted according to PTIWhen Shiv Sena UBT Member of Legislative Assembly MLA Sunil Prabhu raised the issue in the Lower House deputy CM Ajit Pawar also stated that injustice against Marathi people will not be toleratedEknath Shinde who is also a deputy CM reiterated the assertionLater while speakingt to reporters he said that action has been taken against the accused and CM Fadnavis has made an elaborate statement in the legislative council over the issueMarathi asmita pride will be protected and insult of Marathi people will not be tolerated said the Shiv Sena President adding that the late Bal Thackeray had founded the party to protect the rights of the localsMaharashtra Navnriman Sena MNS President Raj Thackeray also reacted to the incident and said said a breed of Maharashtra haters have cropped in the state and they need to be nipped in the bud810 people assault couple with iron rods sticks FIRIn a post on X Thackeray said when such an incident takes place people knock on the doors of the MNS because other parties will not come running for them But for voting they will turn their back against the MNS he lamentedMNS did not win a single seat in the state assembly polls held on November 20Marathi manoos Marathispeaking people are paramount for MNS and it will always stand by them Raj Thackeray assuredThe local MLA MP Member of Parliament did not come out against the incident or do any followup to register an FIR against the accused All MLAs have taken Marathi people for granted he addedAccording to the Thane police the attack took place around 845 pm on Wednesday The accused as well as the complainants live on the same floor of a building in KalyanAs per the FIR the complainants saw Shukla quarrelling with one of their neighbours over incense burning and asked him to maintain peace Shukla and his wife Geeta 45 allegedly got angry and assaulted the complainants with the help of eight to 10 others using iron rods pipes and wooden sticksWhile Shukla surrendered before Khadakpada Police on Friday Senior Inspector Aamarnath Waghmode said that they are looking for the other accused in the caseWe will trace the other accused he saidBefore surrendering Shukla posted a video on social media claiming that his wife was beaten up by the family members of the Marathi couple He has been booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 74 assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty 115 voluntarily causing hurt 3513 criminal intimidation 189 2 3 and 5 unlawful assembly among othersWith PTI inputs