India, July 26 -- A 20-year-old student was allegedly beaten up outside a Navi Mumbai college after he asked his classmates in a WhatsApp group to speak Marathi.

The incident occurred when the student, reportedly annoyed with constant messages in Hindi, replied in Marathi, telling everyone to "speak in Marathi language or else Raj Thackeray will come," NDTV reported.

The remark, made in reference to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray, whose party has been at the centre of the current Marathi controversy, triggered an angry exchange on the messaging group.

According to police sources, the student's comment sparked an argument on the WhatsApp group, which kept escalating.

Around 10:30am the following morning, four ...