Row over language leads to heated exchange

Police detained a 24-year-old man for unruly behaviour in Mumbra area of Thane on Thursday after he allegedly had a spat with a fruit vendor over language, an official said.

The man asked the vendor the price of a fruit in Marathi, but the latter reportedly said he did not understand the language and the man should speak to him in Hindi.

This led to a heated exchange, drawing a crowd.

A police team arrived at the spot and took the man to the Mumbra police station where a non-cognisable offence for breach of peace was registered against him and he was allowed to go, the official said.

The man’s mother told reporters that his mental condition was not stable. She was requesting the police not to take any action against her son, she said.