NE NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI, AUG 9
DMK Member of Parliament Kanimozhi representing Thoothukudi constituency on Sunday alleged that a CISF official asked her if “she was an Indian” as she could not speak Hindi, prompting the paramilitary force to respond saying appropriate action will be taken.
The incident is understood to have taken place when Kanimozhi was at the Chennai international airport to take a flight to Delhi.
The allegation was made at a time when the DMK and the ruling AIADMK is opposing to introduce third language under the New Education Policy announced by the BJP-led NDA government at the centre last week.
However, her allegation was rebuked by the BJP’s National General Secretary B.L. Santhosh. In a twitter message, he said that the allegation is well timed, hardly 8 months ahead of Tamil Nadu assembly election.
Assembly elections are 8 months away … Campaign starts . https://t.co/7Be6JgYxVT
— B L Santhosh ( Modi Ka Parivar ) (@blsanthosh) August 9, 2020
“Today at the airport a CISF officer asked me if “I am an Indian” when I asked her to speak to me in Tamil or English as I did not know Hindi,” Kanimozhi, who is also the DMK’s women’s wing secretary, said on her official Twitter account.
“I would like to know from when being Indian is equal to knowing Hindi,” she tweeted with the hashtag “hindiimposition”.
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) sought details from her soon after.
The CISF has ordered an Enquiry into the matter. It is not the policy of CISF to insist upon any particular language.
— CISF (@CISFHQrs) August 9, 2020
“Warm greetings from @CISFHQrs. We sincerely acknowledge your unpleasant experience. Kindly DM journey details; name of airport, location, date, and time of the incident for appropriate action in the matter,” the CISF tweeted.
The CISF is the national civil aviation security force and it provides counter-terrorist and anti-sabotage cover to 64 such facilities across the country at present.
