A video of a microphone being snatched away from the National Bravery Award winner Zen Sadavarte by a Shiv Sena worker has emerged on Monday.
At an event organised on the occasion of International Women's Day on Sunday jointly by Subhash Bhamre Mitra Mandal, Shivraj Pratishthan, Vitthal Chavan Pratishthan, Ganraj Sahakari Patsanstha Ltd. at the Damodar Hall in Parel, the Sena leaders criticized Sadavarte for not speaking in Marathi. The 12-year-old was allegedly threatened saying, "Want to live in India then you need to learn Marathi."
"Its now compulsory to know Marathi here (in the state) and you must speak Marathi since this is a Marathi audience. The people here know what they are doing and their contributions," the speaker is heard saying in the video.
Speaking to ANI, Zen Sadavarte said that she was speaking about issues that were going wrong in India like mid-day meals not being given to children on Saturdays and Sundays, horizontal reservation to be given to transgenders.
"I was speaking about issues that are going wrong in India like mid meals not being given to children on Saturdays & Sundays. But I don't know what happened to the respected Shiv Sena leaders who were present on the stage. They started humiliating me and told me if you want to live in India then you need to learn Marathi," Sadavarte said.
"They have violated my right to expression. I have the right to speak in English and Hindi, both recognised languages. They had even permitted me to speak in either language as I am not proficient in Marathi," Zen said later.
Earlier in January, Zen was given the National Bravery Award by President Kovind after she showed exemplary courage during a massive fire which broke out at Crystal Towers in Parel in August 2018.
She had also written to Chief Justice of India S. A. Bobde seeking directives banning children from being taken in Citizenship Amendment Act protests after the death of an infant at the Shaheen Bagh in New Delhi.
