A new controversy over language intolerance has erupted on social media after a video surfaced from an Air India Kolkata–Mumbai flight, where a passenger alleged that he was harassed mid-air for not speaking Marathi.
The passenger, identified as Mahi Khan, claimed that a co-passenger confronted and threatened him during his journey on October 23 after he admitted he couldn’t converse in Marathi. In a video posted on Instagram, Khan recorded a woman allegedly telling him, “If you’re going to Mumbai, you should know Marathi.”
In the clip, Khan is heard calmly responding, “You’re saying I must speak in Marathi?” to which the woman firmly replies, “Yes.” Khan said that when he told her he didn’t know the language, she refused to reveal her name and became increasingly aggressive. According to him, even after he sought assistance from the cabin crew, the woman continued to threaten him, saying, “Get down at Mumbai, I’ll show you what badtameezi (misbehaviour) is.”
Sharing the video online, Khan wrote, “‘Speak Marathi or leave Mumbai’ — that’s what this lady told me on my Air India flight AI676 today, before threatening me for saying I don’t understand Marathi.” He tagged Air India, urging the airline to take strict action and calling for a ban on such passengers. “No traveller should be made to feel unsafe or humiliated simply for speaking a different language,” he added.
The post quickly went viral, sparking widespread outrage and reigniting the discussion on linguistic discrimination. While several users condemned the woman’s behaviour, others emphasised that such conduct does not represent Maharashtrian culture. One comment read, “We are Maharashtrian, and this is not our culture. Forcing someone to speak Marathi is completely wrong. India celebrates diversity — flying to Mumbai doesn’t mean you must know Marathi.”
Many netizens also expressed disappointment over how language, which should unite people, is being turned into a tool of division. “Language is supposed to connect us, not divide us,” one user wrote, while another remarked, “Such behaviour is disgraceful. People like her are responsible for creating unnecessary rifts in society. She should be held accountable.”
As of now, Air India has not issued an official statement regarding the incident, but the viral video has once again reignited calls for greater sensitivity and respect for linguistic diversity in India.