A 19-year-old college student from Kalyan, A*, died by suicide after he was beaten in a Mumbai local train during a Hindi–Marathi language dispute. The incident took place in Thane district’s Kalyan East, and Arnav’s family says he was deeply traumatised after the assault.
A*, a first-year science student at Kelkar College in Mulund, had left home on the morning of 18 November to attend classes. Like every day, he boarded a local train from Kalyan to Mulund. The train was very crowded, and A* kept getting pushed. He asked another passenger in Hindi, “Bhai, move a little ahead, I’m getting pushed.” According to the family, a group of passengers became angry that he spoke in Hindi instead of Marathi and started arguing with him. When he said he was also Marathi, they ignored him and slapped and beat him. A* got scared and quickly got down at Thane station instead of continuing to Mulund.
His father, Jeetendra Khaire, said A* called him from the station, trembling and terrified. “He told me he was slapped and threatened in the train. They asked him what problem he had speaking Marathi. He was very scared,” the father said. Despite the incident, A* still went to college, attended his practical class and returned home early, unable to concentrate.
The family says the beating and humiliation caused severe mental distress. Later that day, A* took his own life at home. His father said, “My son is gone, but such hatred and violence over language should not happen to anyone.”
The Kolshewadi Police have registered a case and started an investigation. With help from the Railway Police, officers are checking CCTV footage to identify the men who assaulted A*. The family and local residents are shocked and angry, and they are demanding strict action. The police say the search for the attackers is underway.
