Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers on Thursday took down Gujarati signboards from several hotels along the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway in Thane and Palghar districts, insisting on the use of Marathi as the primary language on signage.
Palghar district shares its border with Gujarat. The agitation followed a recent controversy over the proposal to make Hindi mandatory in primary schools across Maharashtra.
According to local sources, MNS supporters smashed a Gujarati signboard of a hotel near Haloli village. In response, many hotels reportedly covered their Gujarati boards with black cloth to avoid confrontation.
This isn’t the first time MNS has protested language use in public signage. The party has previously campaigned against English signboards in Mumbai and Thane, citing state rules that mandate businesses to prominently display signboards in Marathi, regardless of other languages used.
Local police said they have not received any formal complaints regarding Thursday’s incident.