Claim:The video shows the anti-Hindi movement starting in Tamil Nadu after Vijay becomes Chief Minister.
Fact:Misleading. The viral video is old and dates to March.
Hyderabad: Tamil Nadu has a long history of resistance to Hindi imposition, with anti-Hindi protests surfacing periodically over the years.
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) founder Vijay took oath as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on Sunday. Following this, he signed files related to 200 units of free electricity for domestic consumers, the formation of a special force for women’s safety and anti-drug trafficking units across the State.
In his maiden speech at Chennai’s Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium after assuming office, Vijay said a new era committed to ‘real secularism and social justice’ had begun.
Against this backdrop, a video showing protests against Hindi is being widely shared on social media. Users claim it depicts the beginning of an anti-Hindi movement immediately after Vijay became Chief Minister.
In the viral clip, protesters are seen raising slogans against Hindi imposition on the streets. Members of a movement can also be seen spraying black paint on railway station signboards and erasing Hindi lettering at railway stations in Chennai.
An X user shared the video with the caption, “Anti-Hindi Hate started in TamilNadu after Swearing-in of TVK Vijay. This is the only thing they knew & call BJP a communal party. (sic)”(Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is misleading. The viral video is not related to Vijay becoming Chief Minister. The footage is from March, before Vijay was sworn in as Tamil Nadu CM.
When was the video shot?
A reverse image search of keyframes from the viral video led us to an Instagram reel posted by Sun News on March 12.
The caption stated that members of the May 17 Movement staged a protest by defacing Hindi lettering at railway stations in Chennai.
The visuals in the Sun News reel match the viral video.
We also found a report published by The Wire on March 12, titled, ‘From Chinnasamy to Chennai Park, Tamil Nadu Resists Hindi Imposition.’
According to the report, anti-Hindi protests erupted in Tamil Nadu during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the State on March 11.
The report stated that members of the May 17 Movement, led by organiser Thirumurugan Gandhi, entered Chennai Park Railway Station and painted black the recently installed station signboards, where Hindi was placed in the centre, with Tamil above and English below.
The report also mentioned that one activist, Siva Dileepan, jumped in front of a train entering the station while raising slogans in support of Tamil and against Hindi. He was later hospitalised.
Photographs attached to the report match the visuals seen in the viral video.
This confirms that the video predates Vijay becoming TN Chief Minister and is being reshared with a misleading claim.
The viral video does not show a new anti-Hindi movement that began after Vijay took office as Chief Minister. It is old footage from March.
Therefore, the claim is misleading.
