Overview
- Thackeray told party workers the BJP and RSS are spreading linguistic regionalism and disavowed any call for violence over language.
- He cited past remarks by RSS leader Bhaiyyaji Joshi about Gujarati in Ghatkopar and by Shiv Sena MLA Prakash Surve as examples of divisive rhetoric.
- A 19-year-old first-year BSc student, Arnav Khaire, allegedly faced a beating on a local train for not speaking Marathi and later died by suicide.
- Police have registered a case based on the father’s statement and confirmed that the investigation is in progress.
- The BJP staged an event at Bal Thackeray’s memorial stressing social unity, while the Mumbai Congress condemned the BJP’s stance as a cruel joke.