Representative image showing a dead body.
Credit: iStock Photo
Thane: In a shocking incident in the Thane district neighbouring Mumbai involving the Hindi-Marathi issue, a teenager died by suicide because of mental stress and fear caused by a brutal beating he received from a gang in a running local train for reportedly not speaking in Marathi.
The victim, who hails from a Maharashtrian family, was identified as Aarav Khaire, a 19-year-old resident of the Arnav, a resident of Sahajeevan Residency, Tisgaon Naka on Kalyan East in Thane district.
Aarav is a first-year student of science stream in Vaze & Kelkar College at Mulund in Mumbai.
The incident happened on Tuesday, however, came to light on Thursday with police launching massive detailed investigations.
The incident took place between Dombivli-Thane stations.
The boy’s father Jitendra Khaire has filed a complaint with the Kolsewadi police station.
On the day of the incident, he took a second-class ticket as his first-class pass had expired. Due to the rush in the train towards the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, he reportedly told a fellow commuter in Hindi, “Please move forward.”
Taking umbrage at this, a group of four to five men allegedly surrounded and confronted him, shouting why he was not speaking Marathi and asking if he was ashamed of using the language.
As Arnav started to protest, they brutally assaulted him in the train, and in a state of shock and scare, he quickly got off at Thane. He later took another train to Mulund, but unable to concentrate on his lectures, he quit college early and returned home after informing his family of the incident.
Arnav had informed his father about the incident on his mobile phone, and the father sensed immense fear and tension in his voice.
That evening, around 7 pm, when Arnav’s father returned home, he found the main door locked from inside. With neighbours’ help, the door was opened, and they found Arnav unconscious in his room. He was rushed to the nearby Rukminibai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 9.05 pm.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Kalyanji Gete is overseeing the investigations. “We have registered the father's complaint and initiated a proper investigation to identify and apprehend the accused responsible for this shocking and deeply distressing incident. Justice for Arnav is our priority,” he said.