Maharashtra Navnirman Sena Chief Raj Thackeray.
| Photo Credit: Emmaual Yogini
A complaint was filed on Monday (July 14, 2025) against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray for his comments made during a speech at the NSCI Dome on July 5.
Nephew of Bal Thackeray, Mr. Raj, allegedly said that if people from other States are beaten, they should be beaten, but no videos should be made.
A written complaint was filed by three lawyers, Pankajkumar Mishra, Nityanand Sharma and Ashish Rai to the authorities to investigate the statements made in the speech. The lawyers asked authorities to take legal action against Mr. Raj so that “public peace” is not disturbed.
“On July 5, 2025, Raj Thackeray made hateful and provocative statements in a public meeting. During his speech, the instructions “Do not make any video as evidence of any such incident” is clearly aiding and abetting a serious and premeditated crime and also the intention to destroy or conceal evidence is clear, which is a crime under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC),” mentioned the letter.
Marathi-Hindi debate has taken centre stage in Maharashtra, with multiple instances of violence, including the recent incident of Mira-Bhayandar, in which a non-Maharashtrian was slapped for not speaking Marathi, and the MNS was not allowed to protest. Several other incidents were reported in Virar and Palghar.
The lawyers also highlighted that the MNS has subjected citizens from other states to language-related atrocities, beatings and public humiliation, which is “unconstitutional” and disrupts “social harmony”. The complaint also asked authorities to probe the incidents of attacks by MNS workers and demanded that the suspects be booked.
Published – July 15, 2025 08:18 am IST
