Bengaluru Cafe’s ‘Hindi Is The Official Language’ Signboard Triggers Outrage, Authorities Respond

As the post gained attention, the Vidyaranyapura Police Station responded to clarify the situation. According to their statement, the signboard had been put up by a man named Babu. The building owner, where the cafe is located, reportedly wasn’t aware of the sign. Once the issue was flagged, the sign was removed.

“The sign was previously installed by someone named Babu, but the hotel owner did not notice. The matter was brought to the attention of the hotel owners, who informed them that the billboard had been removed. This will be reviewed," the police stated.

The viral video drew a flood of reactions from social media users who shared their divided opinions on the issue.

One user commented, “Bengaluru has become highly unwelcoming to outsiders because of the language issue. Last year I visited there and boarded a city bus. I asked for a ticket in Hindi and the conductor refused to acknowledge me. I was shocked. I never visited there again."

Another said, “Do they mean to say customers going there should know Hindi? If so, it has to be shut for blatantly creating tensions in the city which is on the boil because of these language issues."

“This is provocative!! Respect the land and its culture. But people before jumping to conclusions and shaming a business, pls find out if it was done by the owner or some vindictive staff," a person expressed.

One user speculated that someone might have tampered with the signboard. “Appears hacked. It’s easy to hack this board," the comment read.

Earlier, a vox pop video caught attention online where people were asked to name Bengaluru’s official language. Surprisingly, none of them mentioned Kannada. Instead, they named Hindi, English and Tamil as the official languages of the Silicon Valley of India.