‘Don’t record video while beating’: Complaint against Raj Thackeray for hate speech; remark sparks outrage

NEW DELHI: A complaint has been filed against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray over his controversial remark during a recent public address. The complaint seeks action under the National Security Act (NSA) against the MNS chief, citing his controversial comments as promoting vigilantism and social unrest.In his speech, Raj Thackeray said that while everyone residing in Maharashtra, including Gujaratis, should know Marathi, there was no justification for assaulting those who didn’t speak the language. However, he added that if someone creates unnecessary drama over the issue, they deserved to be physically struck.While speaking on the importance of Marathi language, Thackeray said, “Be it Gujarati or anyone else here, must know Marathi, but there is no need to beat people for that if they don’t speak Marathi. But if someone shows useless drama, you must hit below their eardrums.”Also Read: Shiv Sena (UBT) pushes alliance: Sanjay Raut nudges Raj Thackeray; seeks formal tie-upWhat drew further criticism was his follow-up remark discouraging the documentation of violence:“I tell you one more thing: if you beat someone, don’t make a video of the incident. Let the person beaten up tell that he has been beaten up, you don’t need to tell everyone that you have beaten someone.”The remarks have triggered backlash from political leaders, civil society groups, and social media users, who accused Thackeray of promoting hate and trying to encourage violence while avoiding accountability.