Coimbatore Medical College Hospital Drops Hindi from Medicine Covers After Language Row
Coimbatore was at the center of a statewide language policy debate in early October 2026 after the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital replaced trilingual medicine covers, dropping Hindi following criticism from a DMK leader. The controversy unfolded just days before Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay passed through the city en route to campaign in the Dharapuram Assembly bypoll.
🗳️ CMCH Drops Hindi from Medicine Covers
The Coimbatore Medical College Hospital made a swift policy change on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, when it instructed its pharmacists to immediately stop using medicine covers that carried dosage instructions in three languages: Hindi, Tamil, and English. The hospital directed staff to transition to newly printed covers containing instructions only in Tamil and English. The move was triggered by a row over Tamil Nadu's two-language policy, which designates Tamil and English as the official languages for government communications and services, explicitly excluding Hindi. Images of the trilingual covers circulated on social media platform X, credited to the account of DMK figure TRB Rajaa, drawing public attention to their use inside a government hospital. The covers in question displayed dosage information for patients, with handwritten numbers indicating the morning and night doses alongside printed instructions in all three languages. The Coimbatore Medical College Hospital's decision to reverse the practice came on the same day the photographs gained traction and attracted political criticism. The hospital's pharmacists were instructed to immediately switch to the revised format. The report was published by TNM Staff for The News Minute on October 7, 2026, at 5:53 am, and was accompanied by an image of the trilingual medicine covers that had sparked the controversy. [3]
🗳️ Language Row Over Hindi on Medicine Covers Spans Karur and Coimbatore
Hindi-language instructions printed on medicine covers at government medical college hospitals in both Karur and Coimbatore ignited a language controversy in Tamil Nadu during the first week of October 2026, according to The New Indian Express. The covers displayed dosage and medical instructions in Hindi alongside Tamil and English, which critics argued was a direct violation of Tamil Nadu's established two-language policy. The controversy intensified after former DMK minister TRB Rajaa publicly criticized the practice on social media, directing his remarks against the TVK government. The New Indian Express noted that the episode was the latest in a series of language-related controversies in the state, describing it as having triggered another row. The criticism was specifically focused on the inclusion of Hindi in official materials at taxpayer-funded public hospital pharmacies. The hospitals affected included government medical college facilities in both Karur and Coimbatore, two major cities located in the western Tamil Nadu region that share administrative and healthcare infrastructure links. The report, written by the Express News Service and published on October 7, 2026, noted that the criticism from TRB Rajaa had been expressed publicly on social media on a Tuesday, directly preceding the hospital's decision to change its covers. [6]
🗳️ CM Vijay Routes Through Coimbatore for Dharapuram Bypoll Campaign
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay traveled through Coimbatore on Sunday, October 4, 2026, as part of a campaign visit ahead of the Dharapuram Assembly constituency bypoll scheduled for October 6. The Chief Minister's passage through the city was transit in nature, with the convoy set to enter the bypass road before proceeding onward toward Dharapuram. In anticipation of the CM's route through Coimbatore, police authorities prepared to deploy approximately 2,000 personnel along the convoy's path through the city. Officials expected large crowds to gather as the Chief Minister's motorcade passed through several of the city's busy areas, and the visit fell on a public holiday, which was expected to increase the turnout of onlookers. The DT Next report, published by news agency IANS on October 3, 2026, referred to this as another round of campaigning, indicating that CM Vijay had previously visited Dharapuram for campaign purposes ahead of the same bypoll. The October 6 Dharapuram Assembly constituency bypoll was the direct trigger for the Chief Minister's visit to the western Tamil Nadu region during this period. The deployment of 2,000 police personnel reflected the scale of security management required for a sitting Chief Minister's road convoy through an urban area. [7]
Sources: [3] The News Minute · [6] The New Indian Express · [7] DT Next