Tragic Suicide of Mumbai Teen After Language-Based Assault on Train Highlights Growing Linguistic Tensions

Arnav Khaire, a 19-year-old student, returned home unusually early on Tuesday afternoon and spoke with his father on the phone, repeatedly saying, "They beat me up."

Later that day, when Jitendra Khaire arrived home, he found his son's room locked. With neighbors' assistance, he broke down the door only to discover his son had hanged himself.

Arnav had explained to his father that he was attacked on a crowded local train simply for speaking Hindi instead of Marathi. He had politely asked another passenger to move forward in Hindi, saying, "Brother, please move forward, I am being pushed."

This request triggered immediate hostility from a group of passengers. One man slapped him forcefully while they demanded, "Don't you know how to speak Marathi? Are you ashamed to speak Marathi?" before allegedly assaulting him further.

The first-year science student was so deeply affected by the incident that he exited the train at the next station, took another train to his college, and then went home without attending any classes.

"My son left for college that morning on a packed train where the usual crowding occurred," Jitendra Khaire told reporters. "He explained that he had asked someone to move forward. He kept saying they asked him 'Are you ashamed of speaking in Marathi?'"

"When I asked if they had beaten him badly, he replied, 'Yes Papa, there were many of them and they scared me terribly. I was so frightened,'" Khaire recounted from their phone conversation.

The confrontation left Arnav feeling terrified and physically ill, causing him to exit at Thane station instead of continuing to his college destination.

Later, Arnav took a train to Mulund and reached his college but felt unable to attend any lectures. He returned home and described the assault to his father over the phone.

"The father detected fear and anxiety in his voice. Upon returning from work that evening, he found the door locked. With neighbors' help, he broke down the door and discovered his son hanging with a blanket around his neck," Assistant Commissioner of Police Kalyanji Gete told PTI.

Jitendra Khaire filed a police complaint, resulting in an Accidental Death Report. No arrests have been made in the case so far.

This incident represents the latest violence in Mumbai and surrounding areas stemming from Marathi versus Hindi language tensions. In the previous month, a passenger on a Mumbai-bound Air India flight had forced another traveler to speak in Marathi.

Arnav Khaire's tragic death comes amid investigations into two other student suicides – one in Delhi involving a schoolboy allegedly harassed by teachers and another in Jaipur involving a fourth-grade girl reportedly bullied by classmates.

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