Kannada activists blacken railway signboard over absence of Kannada; netizens slam vandalism. Video

In a controversial act of protest, Kannada language activists in Karnataka defaced a railway signboard by covering it in black paint. The activists were objecting to the absence of Kannada on the board, which featured text only in Telugu, Hindi, and English. They also hoisted a Kannada flag near the railway gate after the act.

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Take a look at the video

A video of the incident, shared by social media user Aditya Samarth, shows a group of individuals approaching the signage and spraying it with black paint. The protesters demanded the immediate inclusion of Kannada on all railway signboards in the region, asserting that the local language was being sidelined. The incident is said to be happened in Karnataka's Chikmangulur district.

Note - HT.com cannot independently verify the video

However, the protest has sparked a heated debate online. While some expressed sympathy with the demand for Kannada representation, many condemned the group for defacing public property and called it an irresponsible form of activism.

One social media user criticised the group, asking, “Why not channel the same energy into improving Kannada-medium government schools? Make the Kannada subject more student-friendly so it becomes a preferred choice. There are many meaningful ways to promote the language.”

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Another post took a political angle, accusing central political parties of sowing discord in local communities. The user wrote, “These repeated provocations are part of a larger plan to distract locals with petty issues. It’s time Karnataka had a party that truly stands for Kannada, Kannadigas, and Karnataka.”

Some users tagged authorities including the Railway Ministry, demanding strict action against those involved. “I want Kannada to be given top priority too, but this kind of hooliganism is unacceptable. Arrest these goons,” one user said.

This incident also echoes a similar protest in Tamil Nadu, where pro-Tamil groups blackened Hindi text on a railway board at Pollachi station. That protest was part of the wider backlash in the state against alleged Hindi imposition under the Centre’s National Education Policy 2020.