COIMBATORE: Members of the May 17 Movement blackened Hindi words on signboards at Singanallur railway station on Thursday night. The incident comes amid a wave of statewide protests by Dravidian parties and activist groups against the alleged “systemic imposition” of Hindi on Tamil Nadu by the Union govt. Station officials found that the name “Singanallur” written in Hindi had been blackened at three separate locations on the premises. While the Tamil and English names remained untouched, the Hindi words were blackened.Over the past week, several organisations, including the May 17 Movement and various Dravidian parties, have intensified “direct action” demonstrations. Similar incidents happened at Chennai’s Park, Nungambakkam and Chromepet railway stations earlier this week. Activists alleged that the Union govt prioritised Hindi over Tamil on signages at federal installations such as airports and railway stations.The Railway Protection Force has registered a case against members of the May 17 Movement and is investigating.
