A 20-year-old student was allegedly attacked by four classmates, one of whom struck him on the head with a hockey stick, after he insisted on the use of Marathi in a college WhatsApp group. The incident took place outside ICLES Motilal Jhunjhunwala College, Sector 9, Vashi, around 10.30 am on July 21, as per a report by The Free Press Journal.

The victim, Suraj Vitthal Pawar, is a third-year BSc IT student. In his police complaint, Pawar named his classmate Faizan Naik as the main accused. The confrontation stemmed from a heated exchange in the class WhatsApp group.

The dispute began when Pawar posted a light-hearted message, to which Naik responded in Hindi. Pawar replied, requesting that the conversation continue in Marathi, joking, “MNS would come after you otherwise.” The comment allegedly triggered a verbal altercation online.

The next morning, Naik, along with three unidentified individuals, confronted Pawar outside the college gate.

According to the complaint, Naik reportedly questioned, “Why should I speak in Marathi?” before hitting Pawar on the head with a hockey stick, while the others punched and verbally abused him.

Initially, Pawar told doctors at the Navi Mumbai Municipal Hospital that he had fallen. However, after receiving a threatening phone call warning him not to go to the police, he decided to file a formal complaint at the Vashi Police Station, added The Free Press Journal.

A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered under charges of assault, criminal intimidation, and causing hurt. Police said efforts are on to identify the remaining three attackers. Meanwhile, members of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) visited the police station on Thursday, July 24, demanding strict action against the accused.