Tamil Nadu highway signage language controversy

A controversy emerged in the Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu after a directional signboard on State Highway 93 featured place names in Tamil, English, and Hindi. The inclusion of Hindi was viewed as a violation of the state’s two-language policy. In response, the state government suspended two officials from the State Highways Department, an Assistant Divisional Engineer and an Assistant Engineer, while initiating departmental inquiries. The Hindi lettering was subsequently removed.

The incident led to political tension, with DMK president MK Stalin accusing the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam government of supporting Hindi imposition.

Following the suspensions, the Association of Tamil Nadu Highway Engineers and the Tamil Nadu Highway Department Diploma Engineers Association requested the revocation of the disciplinary actions. The associations argued that there was no evidence the officials deliberately violated policy or instructed contractors to include Hindi. They further noted that the signboard was not certified by the suspended engineers and pointed out a lack of specific state guidelines regarding language requirements for projects funded by the Central Road Infrastructure Fund.