Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday strongly condemned the recent assaults on non-Marathi speakers, warning that hooliganism in the name of language would not be tolerated under any circumstances.

Addressing reporters in Mumbai, Fadnavis said that while pride in the Marathi language is natural and justified, using that pride to justify violence or discrimination against others is unacceptable. “Taking pride in Marathi is not wrong, but no one will be allowed to engage in hooliganism over language,” he emphasized.

His remarks follow the alleged assault of a shopkeeper in Mira Road by members of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) for not speaking Marathi. The incident has triggered widespread outrage, especially after videos of the attack circulated on social media. In protest, several businesses in Mira Road remained shut on Thursday.

Updating the media on the case, Fadnavis confirmed that the police had registered a First Information Report (FIR) and initiated action. “Police have responded to the Mira Road incident. If anyone tries to provoke such language-based tensions again, strict legal steps will be taken,” he said.

Fadnavis also called out the hypocrisy of targeting Hindi speakers while embracing English in everyday life. “Sometimes I’m shocked that those who are comfortable using English get aggressive over Hindi. This mindset needs to be questioned,” he added.

The seven accused MNS workers were briefly detained and later released on bail. Their quick release has sparked public debate, especially after one of the accused publicly defended the assault, claiming the shopkeeper “invited the attack.”