Marathi row turns tragic: Thrashed for speaking Hindi in Thane local train, 19-year-old student dies by suicide

In a tragic incident, a 19-year-old student allegedly took his own life in the Thane district of Maharashtra after he was assaulted by a group of people on a local train following a row over not speaking in the Marathi language, police stated on Thursday.

Arnav Laxman Khaire, a first-year science undergraduate, was found hanging in his flat in Kalyan East on Tuesday evening, according to Assistant Commissioner of Police, Kalyanji Gete.

“Arnav was travelling to his college in Mulund on a local train on Tuesday morning when the assault took place between Kalyan and Thane stations,” he said.

Gete reported that the teenager’s father, Jeetendra Khaire, alleged that Arnav had asked a fellow passenger in Hindi to move slightly further into a crowded carriage. The passenger then reprimanded him for failing to speak in Marathi, and the dispute subsequently escalated.

“The passenger, along with his five companions, then brutally assaulted Arnav, raining punches on him. Overwhelmed by fear and nauseous from the beating, Arnav alighted at Thane station and took the next train to Mulund,” the official said.

Arnav returned home early without attending all of his college lectures and phoned his father to inform him about the assault, Gete said.

“Arnav informed his father about the incident on his mobile phone, and the father sensed fear and tension in his voice. On returning home from work later that evening, he found the door closed. He broke down the door with the help of neighbours, and found his son hanging with a blanket around his neck,” the official said.

The teenager’s father has filed a formal complaint, alleging that his son killed himself due to the mental distress caused by the assault, Gete added.

A case of accidental death has been registered, and a police inquiry is now underway.

The dispute over the use of Hindi and Marathi has erupted in Maharashtra, particularly within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. This follows opposition parties, notably the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), challenging the state government over its three-language education policy in schools and the teaching of Hindi from Class 1.

The situation worsened after incidents of verbal and physical assault, vandalism, and public intimidation, allegedly carried out by MNS workers, were reported across various parts of the state, prompting widespread condemnation and legal scrutiny.

In August, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis, stated that there was no fundamental disagreement between the Marathi-speaking and Hindi-speaking communities, and he issued a warning against those attempting to incite tensions.

“I would like to advise Nishikant Dubey (BJP MP) not to get involved in this dispute because some people deliberately want to discuss this dispute, and his speech gives them the strength to dispute. There is no such dispute between Marathi and non-Marathi in Maharashtra,” CM Fadnavis had said.