A video showing a couple in Mumbai confronting a pizza delivery executive for not speaking Marathi has gone viral, fueling a fresh wave of debate around regional language enforcement.
The incident reportedly occurred on Monday at Sai Radhe building in Bhandup, a suburb in eastern Mumbai. The delivery agent, Rohit Lavare, was seen in the video being harassed by the couple, who allegedly refused to pay for their order unless he spoke Marathi.
In the now-widely circulated footage, Lavare is seen defending himself, saying, “Zabardasti hai Marathi bolne ka? Par kyun?” (Is it mandatory to speak Marathi? But why?). To this, the woman responds, “Hai yahan pe aise hi hai” (That’s how it is here). Lavare counters firmly, “Kaun bola aise hi hai?” (Who decided that?).
The couple allegedly refused to accept the order or make payment when Lavare said he was not fluent in Marathi. Visibly frustrated, he is heard saying, “Nahi aata toh phir nahi order karne ka na. Nahi dena hai na paisa, haan theek hai” (If this was your condition, you shouldn’t have ordered. You don’t want to pay? Fine then).
Matters escalated further when the couple claimed the food was spoiled and refused to pay, even as the woman insisted he could not record the exchange though she continue recording him.
The delivery agent, who works with a well-known pizza chain, eventually had to leave without receiving payment.
The incident has triggered sharp backlash online. Social media users, across linguistic backgrounds, overwhelmingly sided with the delivery agent.
“As a Marathi, I apologize to all Indians. This is not who we are,” wrote one user on X. Another noted, “This linguistic extremism began in Tamil Nadu, moved to Karnataka, and now it’s reached Maharashtra. All neighboring states, interestingly.”
Others condemned the couple’s behavior, suggesting it was a ruse to avoid paying. “Shameless. Harassing a hardworking delivery guy over language — just to get a free pizza,” a user posted.
While there has been no official response yet from the food delivery company, the incident has once again brought to focus the fine line between promoting regional languages and enforcing linguistic chauvinism.
https://x.com/theskindoctor13/status/1922314582527283419?s=46
