Mumbai Air India Flight Incident: Passenger Harassed for Not Speaking Marathi
Mumbai, 25th October 2025: A troubling incident on an Air India flight from Kolkata to Mumbai has sparked outrage after a passenger was allegedly harassed for not speaking Marathi. The incident took place on Friday, October 23, aboard Air India flight AI676.
According to the victim, a YouTuber who has lived in Mumbai for four years, the confrontation began when he reclined his seat and accidentally caused a bottle on a tray belonging to a woman seated behind him to fall. The woman reportedly started scolding him in Marathi, which he could not understand. When he requested her to communicate in Hindi or English, she allegedly became enraged, saying, “If you’re going to Mumbai, you should know Marathi.”
Passenger Mahi Khan, a 4-year-old traveling with the victim, shared a video of the incident on social media, showing the tense exchange. The victim expressed concern over the behavior, stating, “If you ask someone to learn your regional language, you have to do it in a welcoming tone. Only then will people begin to understand your language. If you start imposing your language on others, people will begin to perceive your language negatively.”
Attempts to resolve the situation through the flight crew reportedly did not help. According to an NDTV report, the woman allegedly threatened the passenger, saying she would “teach him the meaning of misbehavior” once the flight landed in Mumbai.
This incident adds to a string of cases in Maharashtra where visitors from other states have been pressured to speak Marathi, sometimes facing threats or assault. The YouTuber, who regularly communicates in Hindi or English and has made efforts to learn Marathi, highlighted the importance of promoting unity in diversity rather than enforcing language restrictions.
Air India has not yet issued a statement regarding action taken against the passenger. The incident has sparked discussions online about regional language sensitivities and the boundaries of acceptable behavior toward non-Marathi speakers in Maharashtra.
