85-year-old DMK party cadre sets himself on fire in protest against 'Hindi imposition'

Amid the 'Hindi imposition' row in Tamil Nadu, a senior Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) cadre allegedly died by self-immolation on Saturday, in Thazhaiyur near Mettur in Salem District. According to the police, Thangavel (85) took the extreme step to show his protest against the alleged 'Hindi imposition' by the Centre.

Thangavel, a former DMK farmers' wing functionary arrived at the party office in Salem district on Saturday morning. The 85-year-old started protesting over the Hindi imposition outside the office with a banner that wrote ‘Modi government, central government, we don’t want Hindi’, according to ANI.

As per the police officials, Thangavel allegedly poured kerosene on his body and set himself on fire with the help of a matchstick. Though the party workers and people tried saving him, the DMK's octogenarian cadre died on the spot at around 11:00 AM. It was alleged that he was upset by the 'Hindi imposition' in the educational institutes. Tamil Nadu police recovered a paper addressing the Central Government which read "there is no need for imposing Hindi when the Tamil language is here", according to PTI.

CM MK Stalin expresses grief

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK chief MK Stalin expressed his condolence over the death of a party cadre by self-immolation. In the statement released by the party on Facebook, MK Stalin said, "I am in distress knowing that Thangavel has set himself on fire against Hindi imposition. Salute to Thazhayur Thangavelu who sacrificed his life against Hindi imposition! Let us continue to fight against the imposition of Hindi in a democratic way - politically!"

Adding further, Stalin requested "no one should get involved in any acts of losing their lives in the form of protest". "We will not rest until the ears and hearts of the Union Government which imposes Hindi in a dominant attitude," Stalin said.

Earlier in October, CM MK Stalin-led Tamil Nadu government moved a resolution against “Hindi imposition” in the state Assembly. Notably, the Hindi imposition row was triggered after a parliamentary panel had recommended that the medium of instruction in technical and non-technical higher education institutes such as the Indian Institute of Technologies (IITs) in Hindi-speaking states should be Hindi and in other parts of the country, the respective regional languages. 

Stalin also wrote a letter to PM Modi in October, requesting the latter to not take forward the efforts to 'impose Hindi' in ways recommended in the report and asserted that the 'glorious flame of unity of India' must be held high.

(With inputs from ANI & PTI)