NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri today [Jan 28] appealed to the sponsors of anti-Hindi agitation in Madras to end it and assured non-Hindi speaking people that they would in no way suffer as a result of Hindi becoming the official language of the country.

He told a public meeting here that Madras state was free to use English or develop its own language. Referring to suicides by burning by two persons, Mr Shastri said that this “type of self-immolation” was new to this country. “We should talk to each other and try to understand each other’s point of view on this question,” he said. Besides two persons having burnt themselves to death in protest against the Central Government’s policy on Hindi, over 1,500 arrests were made.

Chief Minister of Madras Bhaktavatsalam said today that he was willing to meet representatives of students and discuss “with them their apprehensions regarding Hindi”. He added he would convince them that their fears were groundless. Forty-three members of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), which sponsored anti-Hindi demonstrations, have also been released, it was announced in Madras today. The release allowed the easing of the situation.— Agencies

[Meanwhile, in Lahore,] Zamir Ahmed, News Manager of the local branch of Pakistan Press Association, was shot dead and Mr Abdul Baqi Baluch MPA, was critically wounded when some unknown assailants fired on them here tonight [Jan 28].

Published in Dawn January 29th, 2015

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