Two women, one of whom was holding a baby, were assaulted in the city of Dombivli in Maharashtra’s Thane district allegedly for saying “excuse me” instead of speaking in Marathi, The Indian Express reported on Tuesday.

The incident occurred when the women, who were on a bike, tried to pass a man blocking their way to the entrance of a housing society in Dombivli. One of the women said “excuse me”, which allegedly prompted the man to angrily demand that they speak in Marathi – leading to the scuffle, the newspaper quoted the police as saying.

The altercation escalated when more people got into the conflict, and the women were allegedly beaten.

A first information report has not been filed in the matter as yet. Instead, a preliminary investigation is ongoing, with police looking into whether the altercation was sparked by any other reason.

The incident comes in the backdrop of a campaign by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena workers to require bank employees in the state to speak to customers in Marathi.

Three party workers were booked on April 1 for allegedly slapping a watchman in Mumbai’s Powai area for not speaking in Marathi. A similar incident occurred at another bank in the city, where an official was threatened for not speaking in Marathi, The Indian Express reported.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on April 5 told party workers to halt their agitation, but urged the state government to ensure that laws requiring the use of Marathi in establishments across the state are enforced.