Asked whether or not I am Indian on stating I did not know Hindi: DMK's Kanimozhi on airport incident

DMK MP Kanimozhi Sunday said a Central Industrial Security Force officer asked if she was an Indian when she requested the woman official to speak in Tamil or English. The incident is understood to have taken place when Kanimozhi was at the Chennai airport to take a flight to Delhi.

New Delhi: Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader and Lok Sabha MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi on Sunday said she was asked by a CISF officer at the airport whether she was an Indian.

The query was posed to her by the Central Industrial Security Force woman officer when Kanimozhi asked the former to speak to her either in Tamil or English.

The DMK leader put out a tweet over the issue, expressing her angst over the incident.

"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. I would like to know from when being Indian is equal to knowing Hindi," she posted on her tweet along with the hashtag #hindiimposition.

"Condemnable! The way ruling establishment pushes One Nation, One Language, One culture it will eliminate many for few! Hope @CISFHQrsact on this", Manickam Tagore replied.

"Outright ridiculous. Highly condemnable. A linguistic test, what next? @CISFHQrsshould respond", Karti Chidambaram tweeted.

The CISF later issued an apology to the MP on Twitter and sought details of the incident to initiate appropriate action into the matter. The CISF has ordered an Enquiry into the matter. And also said, It is not the policy of CISF to insist upon any particular language.

(ANI)