MNS workers harass woman officer for not answering RTI filed in Marathi

Party workers from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), on 24 August, forcefully entered the Commercial Department office of Central Railway and harassed a woman officer.

Swati Sinha, the railway employee, had allegedly rejected an RTI application which was filed in Marathi. She had asked for a fresh application to be filed in Hindi and English.

Reportedly, scores of MNS workers including women went to Swati Sinha's desk and berated her. The party workers said that the RTI application should have been accepted by the officer.

MNS spokesperson, Vageesh Saraswat, defended the episode. According to him, "anyone who works in Maharashtra must know Marathi language and culture. No one can be spared for this be it a male or female."

Sinha has not filed a police complaint because she does not want to escalate the matter. Railway activists have condemned the act of MNS party workers and said that the issue should have been handled with decency.