The Marathi Rajbhasha protest was dispersed on Monday after a delegation of protesters met Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and pressed for official language status for Marathi in Goa.

During the meeting, the delegation reportedly urged the government to take a decision before the upcoming Assembly elections. The Chief Minister is understood to have said that the government is “thinking about it.”

The delegation made it clear that Marathi Rajbhasha status must be granted before the elections, warning that failure to act on the demand “will not be good for the government.”

Earlier, the protesters had intensified their agitation by blocking the Old Mandovi Bridge on the Panaji side, temporarily disrupting traffic and forcing vehicles to use the New Mandovi Bridge.

The protesters had also given the government five minutes to respond to their request for a meeting with the Chief Minister, threatening to march towards the Goa Assembly Complex if their demand was not addressed.

Following the meeting, Subhash Velingkar said the protest had been a demonstration of strength and announced that the protesters would disperse. He also warned that the community would demonstrate its strength in the upcoming Assembly elections if the demand was not fulfilled.