Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) founder C. Joseph Vijay took the oath as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on 10 May 2026. Following his swearing-in, a video showing people spraying black paint over Hindi text on public signboards and hoardings is being widely shared on social media (here, here, and here), with claims that anti-Hindi protests have intensified in the state after his appointment. Let’s verify the truth behind the video in this article.
Claim: The video shows anti-Hindi protests intensifying in Tamil Nadu after C. Joseph Vijay took the oath as Chief Minister on 10 May 2026.
Fact: The video does not show anti-Hindi protests intensifying in Tamil Nadu after C. Joseph Vijay took the oath as Chief Minister on 10 May 2026. The video has been online since at least 12 March 2026. It shows protests by members of the May 17 Movement against Hindi signboards at Chennai Park Railway Station during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
A reverse image search of keyframes from the viral video led us to an Instagram post (archived) by Sun News dated 12 March 2026, featuring the same visuals of people spraying black paint over Hindi text on public signboards and hoardings. This confirms that the viral video predates C. Joseph Vijay’s oath ceremony on 10 May 2026. According to the post, members of the “May 17 Movement” were involved in protests targeting Hindi writings at the Chennai railway station.
We also found multiple media reports (here, here, and here) from March 2026 reporting the same incident. According to these reports, activists associated with the May 17 Movement staged protests against Hindi signboards at Chennai Park Railway Station during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Tamil Nadu on 11 March 2026. Members of the group allegedly painted over newly installed station signboards, obscuring the Hindi text between Tamil and English. Reports also stated that an activist identified as Siva Dileepan jumped in front of an incoming train while raising pro-Tamil and anti-Hindi slogans and was later hospitalised. This confirms that the viral video is old footage from March 2026 and is unrelated to C. Joseph Vijay’s swearing in as Chief Minister.
To sum up, an old video is being shared as showing anti-Hindi protests intensifying in Tamil Nadu after C. Joseph Vijay took the oath as Chief Minister.
