Pune/ September 21: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers allegedly detained social media influencer Mahesh Mote, made him prostrate before a photograph of party chief Raj Thackeray, smeared black ink on his face and forced him to apologise over a social media reel that allegedly mocked the MNS leader.
MNS workers reportedly intercepted Mote at a park in Katraj after learning that he had returned to Pune from Kerala, where he had been staying for around 15–20 days. He was taken to the party’s public relations office, where workers allegedly made him bow before Thackeray’s portrait, blackened his face and forced him to perform sit-ups with slippers placed on his head before recording an apology.
In the apology video subsequently released by MNS leaders, Mote appears tearful and visibly distressed. With folded hands, he offers an “unconditional” apology to Thackeray and MNS workers and appeals to them not to harass him further.
“I inadvertently said something wrong about Raj Saheb, and I also mistakenly spoke inappropriately about Shubham Dada and other MNS office-bearers. Today, I deeply regret my mistake. Because of this reel, I have found myself in this predicament. I sincerely apologise to the MNS party and to all of you,” he says in the video.
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Shubham Jagdale, MNS sub-divisional president for the Hadapsar Assembly constituency, alleged that Mote had used extremely abusive language against Thackeray in a video posted around 15 days earlier.
Jagdale described the treatment meted out to Mote at the party office as “Mahaprasad”, a term he said was used within the party for its form of rough justice. He later referred to it as “MNS style” and warned that those who insulted Raj Thackeray would face a similar response.
“We brought him to our office and made him lie down before a portrait of the respected Raj Saheb Thackeray and demanded an apology. In true MNS style, we gave him a fitting reply in our own language — something you might even call ‘Mahaprasad’,” Jagdale said.
He added that anyone making similar remarks against Thackeray could expect the MNS to respond in the same manner.
The incident has drawn attention to the use of public humiliation and coercive apologies by political workers as a response to alleged insults against party leaders. The episode also raises questions about the line between political protest and taking punitive action outside the formal legal process.
