Language protest

AN octogenarian man burned himself to death in southern India in protest at what he called New Delhi’s attempts to impose nationwide usage of Hindi, police said last Sunday (27).

According to the most recent census in 2011, fewer than half of Indian citizens speak Hindi – just under 44 per cent.

English serves as the main official medium in India, while states use regional languages.

Last month, however, a group of parliamentarians – headed by the home minister Amit Shah – reportedly recommended making Hindi the national official language, including for technical education such as medicine and engineering.

Prime minister Narendra Modi has spoken of a “slave mentality” around the use of English, and promoted the use of Indian languages.

But opponents accuse his government of attempting to impose Hindi, causing particular anger in the south.

Most southern Indian languages are Dravidian, a completely different language family to the Indo-European group which includes Hindi. MV Thangavel, 85, a farmer in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, doused himself in petrol and kerosene and set himself alight, police said.

He was holding a Tamil-language placard reading: “Modi government stop imposing Hindi. Why do we need to choose Hindi over our literature-rich Tamil... it will affect future of our youth.”

Senthil, a police officer who uses only one name, said Thangavel had killed himself.

“He wrote the banner against central government,” he added.

Thangavel carried out his protest last Saturday (26) outside an office in Salem of Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK party, of which he was a member. Party leader MK Stalin – who has criticised the Modi government’s language policies – offered condolences to Thangavel’s family, but urged others to avoid extreme protests.