A Mumbai couple was shown allegedly harassing a pizza delivery person for not speaking Marathi in a video, that has been circulating widely on social media and has sparked outrage, Indian media reported.
In a city suburb, the incident reportedly occurred on Monday. It has reignited debates over imposition of the local language.
The delivery person, Rohit Lavare, had arrived to deliver a pizza when the couple began pressuring him to speak in Marathi, according to an NDTV report.
The couple insisted despite Lavare’s repeated attempts to explain that he did not speak the language.
They threatened no payment if Lavare did not converse in Marathi.
“Zabardasti hai Marathi bolne ka? Par kyun? (You can’t force me to speak Marathi. But why?)” Lavare is heard asking in the video.
To this, the woman responds: “Hai yahan pe aise hi hai (That’s how it is here)”, prompting Lavare to challenge her, asking: “Kaun bola aise hi hai? (Who says this?)”
Lavare is later heard saying: “Nahi aata toh phir nahi order karne ka na. Nahi dena hai na paisa, haan theek hai, theek hai (If this was your condition, then you shouldn’t have ordered. You don’t want to pay? Fine, fine).”
The altercation escalated when the couple reportedly claimed the food was spoiled and refused to pay. At one point, the woman is also seen asserting that the delivery agent could not film them, while she had the right to record him.
In the end, Lavare had to leave without receiving payment for the delivery
The video quickly gained traction, triggering outrage over the imposition of regional languages.
“I’m a Marathi and I’m ashamed to see such people,” a person wrote on social media.
“Well said! This is the biggest weakness of India. So many are obsessed with denigrating and undermining other Indians. You cannot be patriotic unless you are respectful of other citizens of the country,” another user commented.
“I am from Maharashtra and I am proud of our state language Marathi. But this is not correct at all,” a third user reacted.
“Shame,” a fourth user chimed in.
