A 19-year-old college student from Kalyan in Maharashtra died by suicide after allegedly being assaulted on a local train for speaking Hindi instead of Marathi, according to his father’s statement to the police.
The Kolsewadi police have registered an accidental death report (ADR) and recorded the statement of the victim’s father, Jitendra Khaire, who alleged that his son was assaulted by four to five men during a language-related altercation, a senior officer confirmed.
The student, Arnav Khaire, was a first-year BSc student at a reputed college in Mulund and lived in Kalyan with his parents and younger brother.
According to police, the incident took place on November 18 while he was commuting to college on a packed local train.
Due to the crowd, Arnav reportedly said in Hindi, “Don’t push, you’re putting too much weight on me,” which allegedly provoked a group of co-passengers.
“They shouted at him for not speaking Marathi,” an officer involved in the probe said.
Arnav told them he was Marathi too, but the men allegedly grew angrier and asked, “Are you ashamed to speak in Marathi?” The argument then escalated into a physical assault, according to the father’s statement.
Police said Arnav returned home visibly shaken and later died by suicide that evening. Investigators have seized his phone to check for messages or chats that may shed light on the sequence of events.
“Based on the father’s allegation, we are coordinating with Kalyan railway police and reviewing CCTV footage to identify the individuals involved. We are verifying every aspect that may have contributed to this tragic step,” a senior officer said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Atul Zende said the inquiry is still in its preliminary stage. “This is what the father has stated, but we cannot confirm anything until verification is complete,” he said. “If it is established that he was indeed attacked over the language issue, strict action will follow.”
The ADR has been registered, and the investigation is ongoing.
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