Kalyan attack on Marathi family dominates Maharashtra's Nagpur winter session

Mumbai: As a neighbourhood fight in Kalyan suburbs of Mumbai escalated to ‘Marathi-manoos vs North Indian migrants’ issue and rocked the Maharashtra Legislature session in Nagpur with police swung into action and arrested a state government employee Akhilesh Shukla who had attacked a Marathi family. 

Shukla, a contractual employee,  who works as an Accounts Manager with the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), has been placed under suspension. 

The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi slammed the BJP-led MahaYuti-NDA dispensation over the issue saying that in the last 10 years such incidents are soaring. 

The incident was reported from the Ajmera Heights in the Yogi Dham area of Kalyan in Thane district, around 50 kms away from downtown Mumbai.

Shukla allegedly summoned goons to attack Abhijit Deshmukh, a Marathi resident, and his family.

After the argument over lighting the incense sticks, Shukla hurled abuses on Lata  Kalvikate, a neighbour.  

However, other neighbours joined to support her, including one Dheeraj Deshmukh and his later Abhijit Deshmukh.

“All of you Marathis are filthy people. You eat fish and mutton… You fit in slums and are unworthy to live in such buildings,” Shukla allegedly told them. 

Later, upon Dheeraj Deshmukh’s police complaint, the Khadakpada Police Station lodged an FIR and arrested Shukla. 

MVA leaders including Shiv Sena (UBT) legislature party leader Aaditya Thackeray, state Congress President Nana Patole and NCP (SP) group leader Jitendra Awhad raised the issue. 

“This is serious…there would be a probe,” Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said. 

“How can you interfere in personal choices,” said Thackeray.

The Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has warned that if Shukla is not arrested within 24 hours, they will take matters into their own hands and teach him a lesson. “Don’t blame the MNS if the government doesn’t arrest the accused,”said Raj. 

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar took serious exception to the issue. 

Incidentally, Shinde is an MLA from Thane city while his son Shrikant Shinde is Kalyan  MP.

"Migrants speak Marathi fluently and celebrate our traditions and festivals. Some do wrong things that affect our social fabric,” said Fadnavis, adding that the government will not tolerate if anyone tries to disrupt the social fabric. 

He said there was a need to know why local Marathis had to shift beyond Mumbai. “A Marathi family stays in a 300-sq-ft home. We need to know who stays in a bigger place,” he said.

Fadnavis also highlighted the unspoken practice in some residential complexes where non-vegetarians are not sold flats or allowed rentals. “Nobody has the right to deny homes... Everyone has the right to their choice of food. Vegetarianism may be important to some communities. There should be no reason to hate them. But if someone uses this food choice to discriminate, we will not tolerate such discrimination if we receive any complaints in this regard,” he added.

According to Fadnavis, the country had different traditions. “All communities eat fish in West Bengal. Some states have vegetarians. I think we should preserve our diversity. But at the same time, one should also remember that after national pride, it is our regional pride (Marathi-asmita) that is dear to us. We will not tolerate any attempt to harm our regional pride,” he said.