MADRAS: A 22-year-old youth soaked himself in petrol and burnt to death today [Jan 26] as members of Madras state’s main opposition party, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam [DMK], defied a Government ban and observed a day of mourning today over the introduction of Hindi as India’s official language. Police said the man, said to be an anti-Hindi [activist], died instantaneously in front of a suburban [railway] station five miles from the city centre. Meanwhile, Police armed with lathis broke up clashes between supporters of the ruling Congress Party and DMK followers in other parts of Madras state as reports came in of stone-throwing incidents protesting against the arrest of prominent DMK members. A total of 111 members of the DMK, including its Secretary-General Mr C. N. Annadurai, arrested early today, were later produced before Madras city’s Deputy Commissioner of Police and remained in custody.

The clashes came after Congress supporters tried to haul down a black flag hoisted by DMK members observing Indian Republic Day, as a day of mourning, despite an earlier state Government warning that it would take strong measures against such attempts. At a local college Police used teargas this morning to restore order during a bout of stone-throwing between rival groups of students. Reports reaching here from Madurai, about 300 miles to the south, said Police used teargas to disperse crowds of students. Clashes broke out between Police and students in South India yesterday in a wave of protests against the introduction of Hindi as the official language.

Published in Dawn, January 27th, 2015

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