Pune, Apr 20 (PTI): Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis dismissed concerns over the "imposition" of the Hindi language in the state on Sunday, asserting that Marathi will continue to be compulsory.

The opposition parties, particularly Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS, have alleged that Hindi is being imposed in Maharashtra after the state government gave its nod to implement the three-language formula under the NEP.

"It is wrong to say that attempts are being made to impose Hindi. Marathi will be compulsory in Maharashtra. There will be no other compulsion," Fadnavis told reporters after attending a programme organised at the Bhandarkar Research Institute in Pune.

Responding to the row over the government's approval to make Hindi a compulsory third language in schools, Fadnavis said, "We need to understand that Hindi has not been made mandatory instead of Marathi. The Marathi language is a must".

He said the New Education Policy states that two of the three languages to be taught to students must be Indian languages.

"The new education policy has provided an opportunity to learn three languages. It is important to learn languages. The rule states that two of these three languages must be Indian. Marathi is already being made compulsory. You cannot take any other language, except Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam or Gujarati," the chief minister said.

He said teachers are available for the Hindi language as per the recommendations. "In case of other (regional) languages, teachers are not available," he added.

Fadnavis questioned the people's perception of Indian languages and English.

"I am surprised by one thing. We oppose Indian languages like Hindi but we praise English. Why do many people feel that English is closer to them and Indian languages are farther? We should also think about this," the Chief Minister said.

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Mumbai/Kolkata/Silchar: A shocking incident aboard IndiGo flight 6E138 from Mumbai to Kolkata has gone viral, sparking outrage after a video emerged showing a man being slapped mid-flight while reportedly suffering a panic attack. The victim, identified as Hossain Ahmed Mazumdar from Assam, has since gone missing, and his family is seeking urgent answers.

The video, widely circulated on social media, shows Hossain in visible distress, attempting to leave his seat and reportedly requesting to deboard. As flight attendants tried to calm him down, another passenger suddenly approached and slapped him. The incident triggered immediate protest from fellow travellers.


Hossain, a gym trainer based in Mumbai, was en route to his hometown Katigorah in Cachar district via a connecting flight from Kolkata to Silchar. However, he never boarded the Silchar flight, and his mobile phone remains unreachable. His family, who had gathered at the Silchar airport, are now in distress. Zubairul Islam Mazumdar, a relative, said, “We have no idea where he is. We’ve contacted the police and airport authorities but haven’t received any concrete information.” His father, Abdul Mannan Mazumdar, who is undergoing cancer treatment, said tearfully, “He was our only hope. Now we don’t even know if he’s safe.” In a statement issued on August 1, IndiGo Airlines said: “We are aware of an incident involving a physical altercation on board one of our flights. Such unruly behaviour is completely unacceptable, and we strongly condemn any actions that compromise the safety and dignity of our passengers and crew. Our crew acted in accordance with established procedures. The individual identified as unruly was handed over to the security authorities upon arrival. Regulatory agencies have been informed as per protocol.”

However, the airline's statement has been criticised for failing to clarify what happened to Hossain after the incident, whether he received medical help, was detained, or was allowed to continue his journey.

The video triggered widespread anger on social media, with many users interpreting the slap as a possible hate-driven act. However, aviation journalist Jagriti Chandra of The Hindu offered a clarification on X, stating: “The passenger who assaulted a co-passenger aboard IndiGo flight was handed over to law enforcement agencies for unruly conduct. Incident occurred after one passenger was feeling uncomfortable in the flight and wanted to deboard. Both belong to the same religious community.”

Despite this clarification, concerns remain about the airline's handling of a visibly distressed passenger, particularly in the context of mental health. Unverified posts circulating on social media claim that Hossain was later found, though there has been no official confirmation from authorities or the airline.