Pro-Marathi march in Mira-Bhayander turned chaotic as police detained protestors and Minister Sarnaik was heckled. A bottle was thrown, tensions rose, and MNS leader Avinash Jadhav was detained preemptively.
Mumbai, 09 July 2025: A protest march organized in Mira-Bhayander in support of Marathi language and identity took a dramatic turn today as police began arresting agitators even before the march officially began. Organized by MNS, Shiv Sena (UBT), and other pro-Marathi groups, the protest was meant to counter a previous march by non-Marathi traders that had allegedly insulted Marathi-speaking citizens.
However, tensions escalated sharply when Shiv Sena Shinde group leader and minister Pratap Sarnaik joined the protest directly from the Vidhan Bhavan. Sarnaik, who was accompanied by party workers, was greeted with loud slogans such as “50 boxes absolutely OK”, “Jai Gujarat”, and “Sarnaik go back” by angry protesters. In the heat of the moment, a water bottle was hurled at Sarnaik, prompting him to leave the site amid tight police security.
The Om Shanti area of Mira Road witnessed chaos as police began forcibly detaining several protestors and placing them into vans. Protesters and political workers accused the police of suppressing the voice of Marathi organizations and arresting people indiscriminately.
The backdrop to this protest was a recent incident in Mira-Bhayander, where an MNS worker assaulted a sweet shop owner, leading to viral outrage. In response, non-Marathi traders staged a bandh and took out a counter-march on July 3, during which derogatory remarks were allegedly made about Marathi speakers.
MNS leader Avinash Jadhav, who had called for today’s counter-protest on July 8, was detained before the march and released afterwards, fueling further anger among pro-Marathi supporters. Jadhav had claimed the earlier march was a BJP-orchestrated ploy and questioned how insults to the Marathi language and Maharashtra could be tolerated.
The ongoing unrest in Mira-Bhayander highlights the growing linguistic and regional tensions in parts of Maharashtra, even as political factions clash over identity, representation, and governance.
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