Air India passenger threatens influencer for not speaking Marathi: 'I'll show you what badtameezi is'

According to Mahi Khan, the incident occurred on Air India flight AI676 from Kolkata to Mumbai.

A video shared by content creator Mahi Khan, popularly known online as MahiNergy, went viral after he alleged that a co-passenger on an Air India flight threatened him for not speaking Marathi.

According to Khan, the incident occurred on Air India flight AI676 from Kolkata to Mumbai, when a woman passenger objected to him speaking in another language and insisted that he speak Marathi because he was travelling to Mumbai.

The footage, which has gone viral within a day of being posted, showed Khan questioning the woman, saying, “You are telling me that I need to speak in Marathi?” to which she responded, “Yes, please do that.”

The woman, who refused to identify herself, was heard saying, “You are going to Mumbai, you should know Marathi.”

Khan replied, “No, I don’t speak Marathi.”

He said the argument escalated, leading him to seek assistance from the cabin crew. In their presence, he alleged, the woman threatened him by saying, “Get down at Mumbai, I’ll show you what badtameezi (misbehaviour) is.”

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A post shared by Mahi Khan (@mahinergy)

In his 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 appealed to Air India to intervene, tagging the airline and adding, “These people should be banned. No passenger should feel unsafe or humiliated for simply speaking a different language.”

Viewers quickly noticed that the woman was wearing a shirt bearing the Hyundai logo, prompting many to tag the automaker and demand a response. It remains unclear whether she was affiliated with the company.

One social media user commented, “@hyundaiindia we need a public apology. This is a question of your brand integrity.”

Another wrote, “@hyundaiindia you better hold this lady accountable for this shameful act and issue an apology.”

Several users condemned the incident, stressing that it did not represent the values of the state. One comment read, “We are Maharashtrian and this is not our culture. It’s totally wrong to force someone to speak Marathi.”

Others called on Air India to take disciplinary action. A user commented, “@airindia, is this how passengers are treated on your flights?”

As of now, Air India and Hyundai India have not issued official statements on the matter.

The viral clip has reignited public debate on linguistic intolerance and regional prejudice in Maharashtra. In July, a similar altercation on a Mumbai local train reportedly turned into a language dispute when a woman told another passenger to “learn Marathi or get out.”