CISF officer asked me if I'm Indian: Kanimozhi

Dravida Munnetra Kazagham MP Kanimozhi on Sunday alleged that a Central Industrial Security Force official asked her if "she was an Indian" as she could not speak Hindi, prompting the paramilitary force to respond saying appropriate action will be taken.

The incident is understood to have taken place when Kanimozhi was at the Chennai international airport to take a flight to Delhi.

"Today at the airport a CISF officer asked me if 'I am an Indian' when I asked her to speak to me in Tamil or English as I did not know Hindi," Kanimozhi, who is also the DMK's women's wing secretary, said on her official Twitter account.

"I would like to know from when being Indian is equal to knowing Hindi," she tweeted with the hashtag
"hindiimposition."

The CISF sought details from her soon after.

"Warm greetings from @CISFHQrs. We sincerely acknowledge your unpleasant experience. Kindly DM journey details; name of airport, location, date, and time of the incident for appropriate action in the matter," the CISF tweeted.

According to party sources, the incident occurred in Chennai when the MP was at the airport to board a Delhi flight in the afternoon.

She has reached the national capital and she will be there for a few more days and has official engagements.

Kanimozhi is the member of Parliament from Thoothukkudi in Tamil Nadu.

The CISF is the national civil aviation security force and it provides counter-terrorist and anti-sabotage cover to 64 such facilities in the country at present.