Two highways engineers suspended as TVK government acts on Hindi words in Sathankulam signboard

The Tamil Nadu government on Friday suspended two assistant engineers of the State Highways Department after Hindi words were found on a newly installed direction signboard on State Highway 93 near Sathankulam in Thoothukudi district.

In an official release, the government said the two officials had contravened the state's official two-language policy of Tamil and English. Departmental action has also been initiated against them, and the government warned of tough action against any official found violating the language policy.

The board, put up on the Sathankulam stretch of the state highway, carried destination names — Thoothukudi, Thirunelveli, Alwarthirunagari and Tiruchendur — in Tamil, English and, in prominent letters, Hindi. Photographs of the board circulated widely on social media earlier this week, drawing sharp criticism from language activists and the opposition.

DMK president M.K. Stalin had accused the TVK government of a "U-turn" on the language question, pointing out that the same administration had recently ordered commercial establishments across the state to replace English name-boards with Tamil ones. Reports later suggested the Hindi text had been removed from the board.

Friday's suspension is the first punitive action in the controversy, and it puts the spotlight back on how the state's two-language policy is actually enforced on the ground.