MNS-Style Reprimand: Influencer Made To Prostrate Before Raj Thackeray’s Photo Over A Reel

Social media influencer Mahesh Mote was confronted by MNS workers in Pune over a reel about Raj Thackeray

September 21, 2026

Social media influencer Mahesh Mote was reportedly made to apologise before a photograph of Raj Thackeray at an MNS office in Pune, after posting a reel the party considered objectionable

This isn’t the first time MNS has responded to online criticism this way. Here’s the pattern

A social media influencer named Mahesh Mote was reportedly confronted by workers of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in Pune after posting a reel that party members considered objectionable toward MNS chief Raj Thackeray. According to reports, Mote was taken to an MNS office, where his face was blackened with a soot-covered cloth, a slipper was placed on his head, and he was made to rub his nose on the ground in front of a photograph of Thackeray, before offering what was described as an unconditional apology.

What Reportedly Happened

Accounts of the incident describe Mote in visible distress, crying as he acknowledged his mistake during the confrontation. Reports also suggest that after originally posting the video, Mote had left for Kerala for roughly 15-20 days, seemingly to avoid the fallout, before the matter eventually caught up with him back in Pune. The MNS, following the incident, issued a public warning that similar action would be taken against anyone making comparable remarks about the party chief in the future.

Not An Isolated Pattern

This isn’t the first time MNS workers have responded this way to online criticism of their leadership. A similar episode surfaced in 2019, when a young man was made to perform squats and issue a public apology after posting a comment about Thackeray on Facebook — an incident the party’s Pune unit chief at the time defended as a “light punishment,” citing the young man’s background. Episodes like these have periodically drawn attention to how the party handles online criticism directed at its leadership, distinct from its more formal responses — public statements, apology demands, or engagement with authorities — used in other controversies involving the party.

The Broader Picture

The incident adds to a recurring theme in Maharashtra’s political culture, where reactions to perceived insults against senior leaders can move quickly from online commentary into direct, public confrontation. Neither Mahesh Mote nor MNS leadership has offered an official, on-record statement beyond what has circulated through video and social media accounts of the incident, and the original reel that triggered the confrontation has not been independently detailed in available reporting.

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