Tamil Nadu Government Bus Signboards Hacked Again With Political Slogans

Hacking of digital signboards on Tamil Nadu government buses appears to be continuing, with the latest incident in Cuddalore district raising questions about the effectiveness of security measures introduced after similar episodes in April and August.

In the latest case, a government bus's electronic destination board was allegedly hacked to flash a series of slogans targeting the DMK, Chief Minister MK Stalin and his son Udhayanidhi Stalin. The messages, displayed in English and Tamil transliteration, turned a routine public transport service into an unlikely platform for political messaging.

What makes the latest incident significant is that transport authorities had reportedly tweaked the system after the August episode, introducing unique passwords and other changes intended to prevent unauthorised access and make the digital displays more difficult to hack.

Despite those measures, the latest slogans have appeared on a government bus, prompting questions about whether the security changes have been adequate and how the system could have been breached again.

Three drivers and three conductors are facing disciplinary action for alleged negligence. Transport authorities suspect that a passenger may have used a pen drive to tamper with the electronic display while travelling on the bus. The precise method used, however, remains to be established.

"Though the drivers and conductors didn't do this themselves, they've been careless, as this operation of hacking the signboard ought to have happened on board," a senior State Transport Corporation officer told NDTV.

One of the slogans read, "Om Sakthi Parasakthi, DMK is an evil force" -  a political refrain popularised by Joseph Vijay, Chief of the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), during the Assembly election campaign. It draws on late AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa's description of the DMK as an "evil force".

Another message called Udhayanidhi Stalin a "toilet leader", an apparent reference to recent developments involving the police picking him up from his residence.

A third slogan read, "Kolathur Kothu Parotta Stalin Uncle" - echoing a jibe used by Chief Minister Vijay against MK Stalin over his defeat in Kolathur, the constituency he had represented.

The final message asked, "Where is your missing dad?" - a phrase Vijay had used in the Assembly, targeting Stalin following his electoral defeat.

A Recurring Problem

The Cuddalore incident follows two earlier episodes involving government bus destination boards and political messaging.

In April, a government bus was reported to have displayed "TVK" as its destination. In August, another bus carried a message mocking the ruling party as "Thakkali Vetri Kazhagam" - a play on TVK's name that translates to "Tomato Vetri Kazhagam".

The latest incident marks a shift in the political target, with the messages now directed at the DMK leadership. Taken together, the episodes point to a recurring vulnerability in the electronic displays of public transport vehicles, despite the security changes reportedly introduced after the August incident.