India, May 7 -- The Maharashtra government has put on hold the Hindi language examination for gazetted officers and non-gazetted employees, following mounting political opposition and the threat of protests. The announcement was made by state Marathi language minister, Uday Samant, on Wednesday. Samant said the government would also review the need for the exam in the state. It was scheduled to be held on June 28.

The controversy reflects the broader debate over the language policy in Maharashtra, with critics questioning the need to mandate Hindi in a state where Marathi is the official language.

"The scheduled Hindi language examination for government officers and others has been postponed. I have discussed the issue with the principa...