Maharashtra
Opposition Demands Action Against Senior RSS Leader Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi For His ‘Learning Marathi Not Necessary In Mumbai’ Statement
Mumbai: Senior RSS leader Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi ignited a political controversy with his statement, “If you are residing in Mumbai, it is not necessary that you have to learn Marathi.” In a state where Marathi is regarded both as symbol of cultural and political identity, his statement raised political tempers leading to chaotic scenes in the state legislature on Thursday as the opposition parties tried to put the state government on the mat, demanding action against Joshi.
Such were the barbs by the Shiv Sena UBT, MNS, Congress and the NCP that the BJP-led Mahayuti government led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule vouched allegiance to Marathi, the state language. It also forced Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi to backtrack somewhat saying Marathi is Mumbai’s language and those coming from outside and speaking other languages should also understand it.
“Marathi is my native language and I take pride in it,” Joshi clarified, adding his remarks at the Ghatkopar event made on Wednesday which led to the controversy had been misconstrued. At an event in Ghatkopar on Wednesday, Joshi said, “Mumbai doesn’t have a single language. Each part of Mumbai has a different language. Ghatkopar area’s language is Gujarati. So if you are residing in Mumbai, it is not necessary that you have to learn Marathi.”
The Opposition pounced on the remark and raised a ruckus in both the houses of the state legislature pointing out that the state government has recently mandated the use of Marathi in various sectors and celebrated Marathi Bhasha Gaurav Din with great enthusiasm on February 27.
Responding to the demands by the Opposition leaders for clarity on the issue, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis reaffirmed that Marathi is the language of Mumbai and Maharashtra. He insisted that everyone residing in the state should learn Marathi while also respecting other languages spoken by different communities. Fadnavis clarified that the government had no objection if individuals from other states conversed in their native languages but maintained that Marathi held a special status in Maharashtra.
Top leaders from the opposition parties, including Uddhav Thackeray lashed out over the statement. Shiv Sena UBT Chief Uddhav Thackeray demanded Joshi should be booked for treason. He accused the BJP following a “divide and rule” policy. He alleged that the party had previously divided people along caste lines and was now attempting to do the same through language.
Thackeray even likened Joshi to Anaji Pant, a historical figure who betrayed Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj to the Mughals. Thackeray challenged Joshi to make similar statements in states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, or West Bengal and see if he could return safely thereafter. He also demanded that Fadnavis take a firm stand against Joshi, just as he had labelled Prashant Koratkar a “chillar” (insignificant) person.
Thackeray urged the government to either take action against Joshi or admit that undermining Marathi in Mumbai was part of the BJP-RSS agenda. As protests intensified, BJP leaders attempted to control the narrative. State BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule clarified in the Legislative Council that the government remained committed to Marathi as the official language of Maharashtra.
In the Council, MLC Anil Parab slammed the government for not condemning Joshi’s statement. He wanted to know whether Ghatkopar, a predominantly Gujarati-speaking area, had no Marathi speaker and demanded that Joshi apologize to the Marathi-speaking population of Mumbai.
Maharashtra
40 rain shelters, 08 unauthorized shops, 30 hawkers, 06 vehicular paths removed, joint action by ‘T’, ‘S’ and ‘N’ departments of Mumbai Municipal Corporation

The Mumbai Municipal Corporation is implementing the ‘Pedestrian First’ campaign in the Mumbai region (Mumbai city and suburbs). Under this, 40 rain shelters, 08 unauthorized shops and 30 hawkers obstructing footpaths were removed today (August 11, 2026) in the Milind area. This action was taken jointly by the ‘T’, ‘S’ and ‘N’ divisions of the Municipal Corporation. As per the directions of the High Court, the Mumbai Municipal Corporation under the guidance of Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide is effectively implementing the ‘Pedestrian First’ campaign to immediately remove unauthorized hawkers and encroachments on footpaths and to make the footpaths free from obstructions.
In this regard, a joint campaign was conducted under the leadership of Assistant Commissioner (T Division) under the guidance of Deputy Commissioner (Zone-6) Santosh Kumar Dhonde. Assistant Commissioner (S Division) Samrin Syed, Assistant Commissioner (N Division) Jaideep More
The operation was carried out in the areas of Ram Ratan Trivedi Marg, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Sivaram Lalwani Marg, Ratanji Hirji Bhograj Marg, Jhaveer Marg and Ganesh Gawde Marg as well as Lokmanya Tilak Marg (West) in the ‘T’ zone of the Municipal Corporation. In this, 40 rain shelters built on the footpaths, 08 unauthorized shops, 30 hawkers and 06 carriageways that were obstructing the footpaths were removed. Apart from this, the material obstructing the footpaths was also seized.
The operation was carried out with the help of 10 vehicles, 05 dumpers, 05 JCBs and other equipment along with 13 secondary engineers, 07 licensing inspectors, 66 workers working in Zone 6. Adequate police security was deployed at that time.
Meanwhile, the municipal administration is committed to providing barrier-free and easy footpaths for pedestrians. However, no one should create obstacles on the footpath or carry out unauthorized constructions. The municipal administration is telling that strict action will be taken if this happens.
Maharashtra
Mumbai Mankhurd ATM card fraud two accused arrested

Mumbai: The Mumbai Police has claimed to have arrested two accused who committed fraud by changing ATM cards. On August 5, the complainant had gone to the ATM center at Mangal Murthy Junction to withdraw money. While withdrawing money from the ATM, an unknown person standing behind her saw the PIN of the card. After that, she cleverly changed the ATM rod and withdrew Rs 19,000. The police have registered a case of fraud in this matter and started investigating it. The police had seen three suspicious people from the CCTV footage of the scene who were found withdrawing money from the ATM card. After that, the police identified the accused with the help of CCTV footage. Later, they were arrested. The accused have been identified as Qasim Ali Barkat Ali, 30, and Parvez Akbar Ali Sheikh, 38, both residents of Kalyan. The police are investigating further regarding both of them. Along with this, the police are also finding out how many people they have cheated before. This action was taken by DCP Sameer Sheikh on the instructions of Additional Commissioner Dhananjay Kulkarni.
Maharashtra
7 accused arrested in cyber fraud case of over Rs 1 crore in Mumbai

Mumbai: The Cyber Police Station has claimed to have solved the mystery of a cyber crime in which the complainant was threatened with digital arrest on WhatsApp from April 2 to April 18, 2026, and was involved in a money laundering case and was defrauded of Rs 16.74 crore online by sending fake electronic documents. During the technical investigation, the police have arrested 7 accused, identified as Sanjay Hiralal, 57, who used to generate OTPs, the 32-year-old female accused used to hide the fraudulent money, Rishi Ramchandra Meena, 38, who used to transfer the fraudulent money to bank accounts, Naushad Ali, 31, who digitally arrested the complainant and the victim and worked in this gang digitally, Muhammad Khalid Hafeezuddin Saif, 27, a digital expert, Jogesh Mehta, 43, and Zubair Hussain, 27, who helped them deposit the fraudulent money in their accounts. 613 mobile phones, 2 laptops, 5 digital sign devices were recovered from the possession of the accused. SIM cards of several companies, 10 cheque books, 2 passbooks and 2 ATM cards have been seized. DCP Bajrang Bansode told the press conference that there is no such thing as digital arrest and in such a situation, do not keep in touch on unknown social media accounts. If someone threatens digital arrest, do not believe them.
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