Pune, Apr 3 (PTI) In separate incidents, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers confronted two managers of different nationalised banks in Thane and Pune districts in the state for not using Marathi while communicating with customers.
The incidents occurred on Wednesday at Ambernath town in Thane and at Lonavala, a popular hill station in Pune, and their videos have gone viral on social media platforms.
In Lonavala, the police registered a non-cognisable offence against an MNS worker for slapping a bank employee during their conversation with the manager, an official said.
In the video, MNS workers are seen arguing with the manager of the State Bank of India's Lonavala branch for not using Marathi language, and warning him to communicate in the local language. When a Marathi-speaking employee of the bank tries to intervene, some party workers are seen slapping him and pushing him out of the cabin.
"We have registered an offence against one MNS worker for slapping the bank employee. The bank has also submitted a complaint, and we are investigating," senior police inspector Suhas Jagtap of Lonavala police station said.
In the incident that took place in Ambernath town adjoining Mumbai, MNS activists entered the Bank of Maharashtra's branch and aggressively confronted the manager, accusing him of failing to use the official state language Marathi while interacting with customers.
A video capturing the confrontation quickly went viral on social media. The clip showed the activists banging the table, shoving a computer monitor and shouting at the manager, demanding that he converse in Marathi.
The bank manager, however, appeared unfazed and told the MNS workers that as part of an All India Service, he was permitted to use any permissible language in official communications.
"One cannot be expected to learn the local language instantly; it takes time," he is heard saying in the video.
The local unit of the Raj Thackeray-led party confirmed its members were involved in the incident.
It remained unclear whether a police complaint was lodged in connection with the altercation.
In a related development, Maharashtra Navnirman Vidyarthi Sena activists continued their campaign to protect the Marathi language.
Led by MNS student wing general secretary Sandeep Pachange, a delegation met the Education Officer at the Zilla Parishad in Thane and submitted a memorandum demanding strict action against English medium schools that prohibit students from speaking Marathi.
MNS activists on Tuesday distributed letters across banks in the district, asserting Marathi should be the primary language of communication with customers.
They had also pulled down a banner outside a bank in the city because it had no Marathi text.
At his Gudhi Padwa rally on March 30, Raj Thackeray reiterated his party's stand on Marathi being made mandatory for official purposes.