Three Injured in Incense-Triggered ‘Marathi vs Migrant’ Clash in Thane

Thane (Maharashtra), December 20 (NationPress) An apparently harmless act of lighting incense (dhoop) triggered a massive brawl, reigniting the longstanding ‘Marathi versus Migrants’ issue in a high-end housing complex in Kalyan, which is part of the district represented by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

The altercation took place late Wednesday night when a north Indian resident of the Ajmera Heights Society in Yogidham verbally assaulted several Marathi families and allegedly called in over a dozen outsiders who viciously attacked them with iron rods, pipes, and sticks, resulting in injuries to at least three individuals.

The confrontation involved the families of Akhilesh Shukla, who claimed to be affiliated with Mantralaya and flaunted his connections, and the Kalvikate family. On Friday morning, the irate residents of the multicultural society organized a sit-in protest in the compound, demanding immediate action against Shukla and his accomplices.

The dispute erupted over the lighting of incense sticks, leading Shukla to insult Lata Balkrishna Kalvikate, 56, with support from neighbors like Dheeraj Deshmukh and his brother Abhijit Deshmukh.

“All of you Marathis are filthy people. You eat fish and mutton… You belong in slums and have no right to live in such buildings,” Shukla yelled, provoking outrage among other residents.

When Deshmukh and Abhijit attempted to intervene, Shukla retaliated with insults, asserting that Marathi people clean in front of him, and declared, “If I contact the Chief Minister’s Office, I will show you all your Marathi pride.” He even threatened to ‘rape’ Abhijit’s wife Monali while Geeta Shukla incited their outsider supporters to ‘not spare anyone, including women or children and seniors’.

The shocked residents informed media personnel that Shukla’s wife, Geeta, also participated in pulling hair and assaulting other women, creating an atmosphere of fear in the area.

Earlier that night, Shukla’s supporters attacked at least three individuals, including Abhijit Deshmukh and Dheeraj Deshmukh. Although they received treatment at a local hospital, Abhijit was later transferred to a government hospital in Mumbai due to serious injuries.

Following a police complaint by Dheeraj Deshmukh, Shukla was summoned to the Khadakpada Police Station, but locals accused law enforcement of providing him with VIP treatment and failing to take action, including filing an FIR.

As videos of the incident circulated online, the police eventually filed a formal complaint against Shukla and ten others, yet none have been arrested thus far.

Meanwhile, opposition parties such as Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), including Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), criticized the government for the apparent breakdown of law and order in the state, demanding decisive action against the offenders.

Key figures like Vijay Wadettiwar from Congress, Aaditya Thackeray from SS (UBT), and Sanjay Raut from NCP, as well as leaders from MNS, condemned the MahaYuti regime, arguing that some individuals are now objecting to others' dietary choices or clothing.

As the situation escalated, State Shiv Sena Minister Shambhuraj Desai stated he would inform Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis about the issue and assured that appropriate measures would be taken.