Mumbai witnesses protest over Marathi language proficiency

Mumbai witnessed protests and disruptions on Monday over the Maharashtra government’s drive to assess Marathi proficiency among autorickshaw and taxi drivers, with some groups allegedly stopping fellow drivers from ferrying passengers and forcing commuters to get off vehicles.

Videos circulating on social media showed demonstrations in several suburban areas, including Kandivali, Malad West, Santacruz, Dahisar and Andheri.

At Laljipada in Kandivali West, drivers staged a rasta-roko around 9 am during the morning rush hour. Police reached the spot and dispersed the protesters, with the situation returning to normal after some time.

Some protesters allegedly stopped other autorickshaw and taxi drivers, including those operating app-based cabs, from carrying passengers. There were also complaints that passengers were forced to deboard vehicles and that some drivers’ vehicles were allegedly threatened with damage.

An auto-rickshaw and taxi union leader said the protests were not backed by any recognised union and appeared to have been driven by panic among drivers who do not speak Marathi and feared losing their livelihoods. He said groups of drivers had staged protests at several locations in Mumbai’s western suburbs, where there is a significant number of non-Marathi-speaking drivers.

A senior official at the Borivali Regional Transport Office said authorities had received information that misinformation was being circulated among drivers that they would be fined between Rs 5,000 and Rs 20,000 for not having working knowledge of Marathi.

The Maharashtra Transport Department began a statewide drive on August 20 to assess the Marathi proficiency of commercial passenger vehicle drivers. On the first day, RTOs issued notices to 1,268 autorickshaw and taxi drivers, while another 1,499 non-Marathi-speaking drivers were issued notices the following day.

Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik on Monday clarified that drivers who lack working knowledge of Marathi would initially receive a one-month period to learn the language and would not face immediate suspension or cancellation of their licences.

Sarnaik said RTO officials who wrongly imposed fines before the one-month period expires would face action. However, drivers who deliberately refuse to comply with the language requirement would face penalties after the prescribed period.

According to the minister, if a driver fails to acquire the required proficiency after one month, their licence and badge will be suspended for three months, during which they will be given another opportunity to learn Marathi. Continued non-compliance could eventually result in cancellation of the licence and badge.

Sarnaik’s clarification came after Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam, the party’s north Indian face, met him and sought an end to alleged fines imposed on drivers. Nirupam claimed that some drivers had been fined as much as Rs 25,000 without being given the stipulated one-month period.

The transport minister reiterated that the government’s policy was not intended to threaten anyone’s livelihood but to ensure that drivers operating in Maharashtra have working knowledge of Marathi and respect the state’s language and cultural identity.

Sarnaik also said that around 1,65,600 non-Marathi-speaking autorickshaw and taxi drivers had attended Marathi language classes so far.

The controversy comes amid the government’s broader push to enforce Marathi proficiency among commercial passenger vehicle drivers. While the administration has maintained that drivers will be given time and an opportunity to learn the language, Monday’s protests highlighted the anxiety among some sections of the transport community over how the policy is being implemented.

with inputs from PTI