A hoarding of the government written in Assamese language was reportedly smeared with black ink by suspected activists of Barak Democratic Yuba Front at Silchar in Assam.
The BDYF has been demanding use of Bengali language in Barak Valley of Assam, instead of Assamese language.
Pictures circulating in the social media showed that the youth organisation wrote “Bangla Likhun” (write in Bengali) and the names of the two organisation below it.
The hoarding was placed in front of the Silchar Railway Station.
BDYF and All Bengali Students Youth Organisation (ABSYO) had allegedly carried out the protest programme near the hoarding on Sunday.
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The act of smearing Assamese language has drawn sharp criticism from different quarters of the society.
Meanwhile, All Assam Student Union (AASU) has termed the incident as ‘unfortunate’, adding that the Assamese language has been insulted in Assam itself.
The Assam Official Language Act, 1960, adopted Assamese as the official language of the state, though it included provisions for use of Bengali for all administrative and official purposes in the Bengali-majority Barak Valley of the state, comprising Cachar, Karimganj, and Hailakandi districts.