DUBAI – A Dubai-based YouTuber has claimed he was verbally harassed on an Air India flight from Kolkata to Mumbai after he was unable to respond in Marathi, sparking an online debate about language discrimination in India.
The incident occurred aboard flight AI676, when the passenger, identified as Mahi Khan, accidentally reclined his seat, causing a water bottle on the tray of the woman seated behind him to fall. According to Khan, the woman began shouting at him in Marathi, a language he does not understand.
“The moment I pressed the button and reclined my seat, a bottle slipped and fell. She shouted at me in Marathi, and I didn’t understand,” Khan said.
Khan claimed that when he politely asked the woman to speak in Hindi or English, she became aggressive, saying, “You are going to Mumbai, but you can’t speak Marathi.” The argument reportedly escalated, and the woman threatened him by saying, “I will show you what badtameezi is once we land in Mumbai.”
Khan filmed part of the confrontation and questioned the Air India cabin crew about whether speaking Marathi was mandatory on the flight. The crew clarified that it was not.
Following the incident, Khan shared the video on social media, drawing widespread attention and sparking discussions about linguistic intolerance in India’s public spaces.
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Many social media users condemned the behavior, calling for stricter action against such harassment. Air India has yet to issue an official statement regarding the incident.
The episode has reignited a broader debate over the need for mutual respect among India’s diverse linguistic communities, especially in shared spaces like flights and public transport.
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