“This is Not Maharashtra, Go There and Speak Marathi”: Marathi Youth Threatened in UP, Infuriating Video Goes Viral
“This is Not Maharashtra, Go There and Speak Marathi”: Marathi Youth Threatened in UP, Infuriating Video Goes Viral
Viral clip of linguistic bullying sparks national outrage over regional identity and language freedom
A shocking incident from Uttar Pradesh has triggered widespread outrage after a Marathi-speaking youth was publicly threatened for speaking his mother tongue. The viral video, now circulating rapidly on social media, shows a customer berating a salesman for speaking Marathi at a local shop. “This is not Maharashtra, go there and speak Marathi,” the customer shouts, demanding the man speak in Bhojpuri instead.
The young man, who migrated from Maharashtra in search of work, says he is being forced to give up his linguistic identity. “I am being threatened with losing my job just for speaking Marathi. This is about more than language—it’s about dignity and the right to one’s cultural roots,” he shared, visibly shaken.
The video, originally posted by the Instagram account @indiainlast24hr, has sparked heated debate online. Many users expressed anger, calling the incident deeply disrespectful to India’s cultural diversity. Others pointed out that while similar demands are made in Maharashtra to speak Marathi, it does not justify bullying in return.
This controversy comes in the wake of an ongoing debate in Maharashtra itself, where tensions have been rising over the promotion of the Marathi language in schools under the National Education Policy. The state government had recently reversed a decision to make Marathi compulsory from Class 1, following political and social backlash.
In a country as linguistically rich as India, where multiple languages coexist as the threads of its democratic fabric, such incidents raise serious questions. Forcing anyone to speak—or not speak—a language undermines the essence of unity in diversity. As the youth in the video rightly says, “Language should unite us, not divide us.”
