Hindi signboard state highway: Tamil Nadu suspends 2 officials

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government has suspended two Highways Department officials after a newly installed signboard on State Highway-93 in Thoothukudi displayed place names in Hindi, alongside Tamil and English.

The action followed the circulation of videos showing the recently completed Sathankulam–Nazareth road carrying the three-language signboard. The Hindi portion was subsequently removed after the government took note of the issue.

An order issued by Highways Director General R. Selvadurai on Thursday suspended Assistant Divisional Engineer N. Boominathan and Assistant Engineer T. Muthulakshmi with immediate effect.

Public Works Minister Aadhav Arjuna said a departmental inquiry found that the board had been installed in three languages due to negligence by specific officials, thereby violating the Tamil Nadu government’s two-language policy. The signboard was replaced within hours with one carrying only Tamil and English, while a higher-level inquiry remains underway.

“We will smash the three-language policy in whatever form it comes! We will uphold and elevate the two-language policy forever! Arjuna wrote on X, warning that officials violating the policy would face strict legal and departmental action.

He also said the two-language policy introduced by former Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai remained a permanent principle for the Tamil Nadu Victory Federation and that the state government would not deviate from it.

The episode drew criticism from DMK chief M.K. Stalin, who accused the ruling TVK government of appearing to follow the approach it had opposed on Hindi imposition. Stalin questioned whether the incident was another attempt to test public sentiment before reversing course after protests, and warned the government against tampering with Tamil Nadu’s two-language policy.