Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin-led DMK government was criticised by opposition leaders and netizens after students wearing black dupattas and other black accessories were barred from attending an international seminar commemorating the centenary of the Indus Valley Civilization at the Egmore Government Museum that CM Stalin inaugurated.
The Tamil Nadu Department of Archaeology organized the event, in which the Chief Minister also unveiled a book titled “Indus Valley Scripts and Tamil Nadu Codes: A Geometric Study.”
The seminar saw active participation from college students and researchers. However, a controversy erupted when several students wearing black clothing or accessories, including black dupattas, were barred from entering the venue. Event organizers reportedly confiscated items such as black dupattas, umbrellas, and notebooks brought by the students before allowing them to enter. These items were returned to the students only after the event concluded.
The incident sparked widespread criticism online, with netizens questioning whether the removal of black attire was a precautionary measure to prevent any display of black flags—a traditional symbol of protest—against CM Stalin.
It is deeply ironic that the same DMK, which prides itself on following the ideals of EV Ramasamy Naicker (hailed as ‘Periyar’ by his followers), identifies with black as the symbolic color of its political ideology.
Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai slammed the DMK government saying “Fear has crept in, and they are utterly clueless & have become hopeless. What kind of autocracy is this?”
In an event participated by TN CM Thiru @mkstalin, female students wearing “black shawls” were asked to remove them before entering the hall.
Fear has crept in, and they are utterly clueless & have become hopeless. What kind of autocracy is this? pic.twitter.com/JySnt0pRGZ
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) January 5, 2025
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