A video shared by content creator Mahi Khan, popularly known online as MahiNergy, has gone viral after he posted footage of a woman co-passenger allegedly threatening him on an Air India flight for not speaking Marathi.
The incident reportedly occurred on Air India flight AI676 from Kolkata to Mumbai, where Khan claimed that a woman passenger insisted he speak Marathi because he was travelling to Mumbai.
In the video, which has amassed more than 95,000 likes and over 9,000 comments within 24 hours, Khan can be heard asking the woman, “You are telling me that I need to speak in Marathi?” to which she replies, “Yes, please do that.”
The woman, who declined to identify herself, further said, “You are going to Mumbai, you should know Marathi.” In response, Khan calmly stated, “No, I don’t speak Marathi.”
As the argument intensified, Khan said he sought help from the cabin crew. According to him, in front of the crew, the woman threatened him, saying, “Get down at Mumbai, I’ll show you what badtameezi (misbehaviour) is.”
'Speak Marathi or leave'
In his Instagram post, Khan wrote, “Speak Marathi or leave Mumbai. That’s what this lady told me on my Air India flight AI676 today, before threatening me for saying ‘I don’t understand Marathi’.”
He also called on Air India to take strict action, tagging the airline in his post and adding, “These people should be banned. No passenger should feel unsafe or humiliated for simply speaking a different language.”
Netizens express ire
The video soon sparked outrage on social media after viewers noticed the woman wearing a shirt bearing the Hyundai logo. Many users tagged the automaker and demanded accountability from the company, although it remains unclear whether the woman is associated with Hyundai.
One user wrote, “@hyundaiindia we need a public apology. This is a question of your brand integrity.” Another comment read, “@hyundaiindia you better hold this lady accountable for this shameful act and issue an apology.”
Several users from Maharashtra condemned the woman’s behaviour, saying it misrepresented their culture. One person commented, “We are Maharashtrian and this is not our culture. It’s totally wrong to force someone to speak Marathi.”
Others urged Air India to take immediate action against the woman, with one user writing, “@airindia, is this how passengers are treated on your flights?”
So far, neither Air India nor Hyundai has issued an official statement regarding the incident.
The viral video has reignited discussions on linguistic intolerance and regional chauvinism in Maharashtra, echoing previous controversies. In July, a dispute in a Mumbai local train over a seat escalated into a language row, when a woman told another passenger to “learn Marathi or get out.”
Earlier this year, another case drew attention when an autorickshaw driver was allegedly beaten by Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS workers for refusing to speak Marathi, further fuelling concerns over rising linguistic hostility in the state.
