MUMBAI: In a shocking incident, a young woman was brutally assaulted for addressing her neighbours in English. The incident occurred in Thane, Mumbai. Poonam Gupta, a resident of the ‘Ganesh Shraddha’ building in Dombivli, was the victim of the assault. She was returning to her residence with her nine-month-old baby and her friend Jyoti Chavan when the incident happened.

At the time, the Doble family, Poonam's neighbors, were hosting a ceremony at their home. Their relatives were blocking the pathway. When Poonam, her baby, and her friend tried to enter, she said "Excuse me" in English. This angered members of the Doble family, who demanded that she speak in Marathi instead. The situation escalated into a verbal altercation, and soon both Jyoti and Poonam were physically assaulted.

Despite Poonam holding her baby in her arms, the group attacked her. Poonam’s husband, Ankit, who later arrived at the scene, was allegedly beaten with a stick. Both parties have filed complaints with the police.

Footage of the incident circulated widely on social media. After reviewing the CCTV footage, the police confirmed that Poonam had suffered a severe physical assault. Police officials stated that if Poonam is willing to file an FIR, appropriate action will be taken. Poonam works as an accountant along with her friend Jyoti. Jyoti also alleged that the police did not take the complaint seriously until the video evidence of the assault emerged.