‘I’m scared, might leave…’: Foreign coach after Patparganj BJP councillor threatens him with ‘Learn Hindi or…’
The video features first-time BJP councillor Renu Chaudhary repeatedly asks the foreign national why he has not learned Hindi while staying in India. At one point, she gestures towards individuals off camera, invokes park regulations and issues a warning regarding park timings and accountability for any unlawful activity.
Foreign coach says he feels shaken after the incident
Speaking to TOI, the foreign national, who requested anonymity citing safety concerns, said he first came to India around 12 years ago in search of opportunities. He later joined a football academy and began coaching children in local parks. “We used to have 40 to 45 students every session. It was a joy. Everything was going smoothly until Covid hit,” he told TOI.
After the academy shut down during the pandemic, he resumed coaching independently, focusing on underprivileged children with limited access to resources. “Since 2022, I have selected children with talent but no resources, provided them jerseys and sent them for competitions. Many of them have gone on to become army officers and policemen,” he said.
According to him, the incident occurred on December 13 while he was playing football in the park with Indian friends for leisure. “Initially, I took it as a joke. She seemed like a nice lady, but then she kept repeating it,” he said, adding, “I am scared. If this continues, I may have to leave soon.”
Councillor’s response: ‘Coaching was being done without permission’
According to TOI, Renu Chaudhary responded to the controversy by saying that the park was being used for coaching activities without permission or payment of dues to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). She said there were no fixed timings for the coaching sessions and that MCD staff had earlier attempted to communicate with the coach but faced difficulties due to language barriers.
“Our sanitation workers do not understand other languages. We had difficulty communicating with him,” she told TOI. Chaudhary added that she had raised the issue with the coach around eight months ago and asked him to learn Hindi to ensure smoother coordination.
“Although it is a ground, MCD needs the space to remain clean and must be informed when it is occupied. Locals say classes have been held there for 10 to 12 years, but as a councillor, I want everything to be in order for security and other reasons,” she said.
Language debate gains traction online
Sarthak Garg, a resident of Mayur Vihar Phase 1, told TOI that Indians often fail to reflect on their own linguistic conduct while living in other regions. “Many Hindi-speaking migrants live for decades in states like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka without learning the local language,” he said. “Before telling a foreigner to learn Hindi, people should ask whether they themselves make an effort to learn Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Bengali or Marathi.”
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