Bengali boards in Gachibowli spark debate over language imposition

Hyderabad: A social media post highlighting the presence of Bengali signboards in a lane near AIG Hospitals in Hyderabad’s Gachibowli has sparked a debate over language use and the need to protect Telugu.

The post described Hyderabad as increasingly becoming a second home for people from North India and expressed concern over the absence of Telugu signboards in the lane, where shops reportedly displayed signboards entirely in Bengali.

The X user who shared the post said people moving to Hyderabad should respect the local language and called for a Telangana Telugu Protection Board, similar to initiatives in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, to safeguard the language.

.sia-gs{max-width:640px;margin:12px auto 16px !important;padding:0;clear:both; text-align:center;line-height:1; font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,”Segoe UI”,Roboto,sans-serif;} .sia-gs__wrap{position:relative;display:inline-block;margin:0;padding:0;} .sia-gs__btn{display:block;margin:0;padding:0;line-height:0;border-radius:14px;} .sia-gs__btn img{display:block;width:280px;max-width:100%;height:auto;margin:0 auto;} .sia-gs__btn:focus-visible{outline:3px solid #064588;outline-offset:3px;} @media (prefers-reduced-motion:no-preference){ .sia-gs__btn{transition:transform .18s ease,filter .18s ease;} .sia-gs__btn:hover{transform:translateY(-2px); filter:drop-shadow(0 4px 10px rgba(0,0,0,.2));} .sia-gs__btn:active{transform:translateY(0);} }

Her post was welcomed and criticised, with some arguing that such remarks could create divisions among Indians, while others fully endorsed her views.