Tamil Nadu officials suspended over Hindi on highway signboard

Two officials from the Tamil Nadu State Highways Department have been suspended following a controversy over a directional signboard in the Thoothukudi district. The signboard, installed on the Sathankulam–Nazareth stretch of State Highway 93, featured place names in Tamil, English, and Hindi. The inclusion of Hindi, placed prominently after Tamil, was viewed as a violation of the state’s established two-language policy.

The Assistant Divisional Engineer, N. Boominathan, and Assistant Engineer, T. Muthulakshmi, were placed under temporary suspension as departmental inquiries were initiated. The Hindi lettering has since been removed and replaced with a sign containing only Tamil and English.

The incident sparked significant political backlash. DMK president and former Chief Minister MK Stalin criticized the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government, accusing it of appearing to support Hindi imposition—a practice the state has historically opposed. Public Works Minister Aadhav Arjuna stated that the government is committed to the Tamil-English policy and warned that officials violating these regulations will face legal and departmental consequences.