MNS Goons Assault Coaching Centre Head

• Three Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) members assaulted the head of a coaching center near Mumbai, an incident captured in a viral video.
• The attack, reportedly over high fees and alleged skipped classes, is part of a recent surge in MNS-led violence, often linked to linguistic issues.
• Despite video evidence of multiple incidents, critics highlight a lack of accountability, with the MNS leadership reportedly defending such actions.

GG News Bureau
Mumbai, 28th July: Political thuggery has resurfaced in Maharashtra as goons from Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) assaulted the head of an academic coaching centre in Kalyan, near Mumbai. A two-and-a-half-minute video circulating online captures three MNS men confronting Siddharth Singh Chandel, who runs the Siddhartha Logic coaching centre, which prepares students for competitive examinations including the Indian Administrative Service.

The assailants allegedly accused Chandel of charging high fees without conducting classes. In the video, Chandel, while on a mobile phone, attempts to pacify the men. However, the situation quickly escalates: one of the individuals slaps him, and another throws a stainless-steel bottle.

Despite Chandel’s continued attempts to calm them, a third man throws a wooden plaque at him. Young girls, reportedly students, are seen huddled in a corner of the room, with one filming the attack on her mobile phone. The video concludes with Chandel on his feet, facing threats from his attackers.

This incident is part of a disturbing pattern of increased attacks by MNS members over alleged “insults” to the Marathi language and its people. Such actions, critics argue, appear to be emboldened by perceived political protection. Recent weeks have seen similar assaults, notably on a shopkeeper in Mumbai’s Mira Road and another in Vikhroli, alongside attacks on auto drivers who have migrated to Mumbai for employment.

Neither the MNS party nor its chief, Raj Thackeray, have issued apologies or acknowledged the impropriety of these actions. In fact, Thackeray has reportedly defended and even praised the attackers, with his party issuing warnings of further violence if Thackeray is criticized.

In numerous instances, alleged party thugs have reportedly been shielded from police action; for example, in the Mira Road shopkeeper assault, the seven men involved were summoned by authorities only after public pressure and were subsequently released without further action, raising concerns given that several attacks were filmed without arrests.

At the heart of this wave of protests are the Maharashtra state government’s orders in April and June, which mandated Hindi as a compulsory language for students from Class I to V in all schools across the state. Raj Thackeray has aligned with his estranged cousin, Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena faction, to protest this perceived “imposition” of Hindi. This linguistic dispute has also sparked a political row between the MNS and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, leading to public exchanges between BJP MP Nishikant Dubey and Thackeray.

Home Minister Yogesh Kadam’s response to these incidents has drawn particular criticism; while he stated that “action will be taken” against anyone who “disrespects Marathi,” he made no mention of punishing the assailants, asserting that “Marathi will have to be spoken in Maharashtra…”