Photo for illustrative purposes only. ARCHIVE

On Sunday, authorities reported that a man burned himself to death in southern India to protest New Delhi's plans to impose Hindi, a northern language, nationally. English is the main official medium, while state governments use regional languages. Only under 44 percent of Indian citizens speak Hindi. Last month, a group of legislators led by powerful interior minister Amit Shah advocated making Hindi the national language, including for medical and engineering education. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken of a "slave mentality" around the use of English and promoted the use of Indian languages. However, opponents accuse his government of attempting to impose Hindi, causing particular anger in the south. Police reports said MV Thangavel, 85, a farmer in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, doused himself in petrol and kerosene and set himself alight, police said. "Modi government stop imposing Hindi. Why do we need to choose Hindi over our literature-rich Tamil... it will affect future of our youth," Thangavel's poster said. Thangavel carried out his protest on Saturday outside an office in Salem of Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK party, of which he was a member. BKM/ Expat Media
For all the latest news from the UAE and the world, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube page