VELLORE: As many as 24 youths were arrested for blackening the hindi inscriptions on the name board at the Gudiyatham railway station on Wednesday. They were protesting the Union home minister Amit Shah’s push to make Hindi the national language.

Police said the 24 youths headed by R Gnanaprakash, 29 , DMK IT wing co-ordinator for Gudiyatham assembly constituency smudged the

on name board and raised anti-Hindi slogans.

On being informed, the Gudiyatham town police rushed to the railway station and detained them in a marriage hall.

Gudiyatham DSP R Saravannan said cases were registered under the section 143 (Punishment for unlawful assembly), 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and section 427 (Punishment for causing loss or damage to the property).

Speaking to TOI, Gnanaprakasham said that the youths did not belong to any political party and that they were angered by the Centre’s push to impose Hindi on the states.