Click to play videoMumbai: Mumbai Police on Saturday arrested four people on charges of damaging five taxis and threatening their drivers, allegedly because they were outsiders.
The taxi drivers say they are being targeted for being northerners.
“We have to ply taxis and get the beatings to fill our stomachs,” says taxi driver Ashok Kumar. Another taxi driver, Anil Kumar, adds, “We haven't come 1500 km to fight with anyone.”
Five taxis bore the brunt of anti-north Indian sentiment when on Friday four motorcyclists sped through central Mumbai randomly targeting taxis belonging to North Indian drivers and pelting stones at them.
"They asked if we're Marathi or North Indian then started throwing stones," recalls Iqbal, one the attacked taxi drivers.
Police are not confirming if the assailants belong to any political party as similar sporadic incidents continue to break out. The political parties making the loudest noises are of course Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena — that started it all — and the Shiv Sena with leader Bal Thackeray recently opposing any move to introduce Hindi as a language in the civic corporation.
The taxi union, though, is ruling out taking any concrete action, and says it will incur the losses sustained by those affected in the attacks.
“We have advised the taxi drivers not to run away from this, and to continue plying the taxis,” Al Quadros from Mumbai Taximen's Union says.
Assembly elections are coming up next year, and with the traditional Maharashtrian vote bank up for grabs, anti-north Indian flames will continue to be stoked, most likely at the expense of the hapless taxi man.
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