Police on Saturday registered a case of abetment against unidentified persons in connection with the alleged suicide of a 19-year-old college student in Maharashtra, days after he was allegedly assaulted on a local train for not speaking in Marathi, news agency PTI reported, quoting officers.
The victim allegedly took the extreme step at his apartment in Kalyan on Tuesday evening.
State Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday spoke to the teen’s family members on video call and assured them that the government was committed to ensuring justice in the case, PTI reported.
Police said two teams have been constituted to investigate the incident and trace the assailants.
Based on a complaint lodged on Saturday by the victim’s father, the police registered a case of abetment to suicide, an officer said.
In his complaint, the 46-year-old said his son was travelling from Kalyan Railway Station to his college in Mulund on November 18 when he was allegedly beaten by unidentified persons on a local train after being questioned for not speaking in Marathi, PTI reported.
During the altercation, the attackers reportedly asked him why he did not speak in Marathi, despite him being a Maharashtrian.
He stated that the “mental stress” caused by the “brutal beating” may have driven his son to take the extreme step, and demanded legal action against those involved.
Following the complaint, a case was registered at Kolsewadi Police Station in Thane District under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 108 (abetment of suicide) and 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt). Police had earlier filed an accidental death report.
To ensure swift investigation, Kalyan Police have formed two dedicated teams, officers said.
They added that the probe is being carried out with the assistance of the Railway Police to identify the assailants involved in the train assault.
The police have also appealed to commuters who witnessed the incident on November 18 to come forward and share information.
Will those inciting linguistic hatred take responsibility for Marathi teen’s suicide, asks BJP’s Chitra Wagh
Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Chitra Wagh has questioned whether political leaders who “incite hatred” against speakers of other languages will take responsibility for the alleged suicide of an 18-year-old youth in Thane district.
Without naming any party, Wagh, who is a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council, on Friday accused certain leaders of “sowing the poison of hatred about other languages” for political gain.
“What was his [victim’s] fault? He used to travel by first class, but his pass had expired, so he took a second-class ticket. Just because he spoke a few Hindi words, he was badly thrashed. The politics of putting up one language against another has created this mess,” she said.
“These so-called leaders send their children to English-medium schools, even abroad. Do these kids speak Marathi when they go to parties?” she asked.
Calling the incident a result of “language fanaticism”, Wagh said, “No sin could be greater than inciting such hatred which led to the death of a Marathi teenager. A group of Marathi people killed a Marathi teen for speaking a few Hindi words. This language fanaticism should be stopped.”
(With PTI inputs)
