BENGALURU: Members of Kannada Rakshana Vedike staged protests on Tuesday against the exclusion of Kannada in railway departmental promotion examinations, leading to disruptions and detentions. Around 300 activists, who were protesting near KSR Bengaluru City Railway Station, were detained by the police. The protesters warned against conducting examinations without Kannada as a medium.
An official from the Bengaluru division said that while the examinations in Bengaluru were conducted as scheduled, they were postponed in Hubballi.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah criticised the Railways for cancelling the exams at the last minute. He said the situation could have been avoided had Kannada been included as a medium from the outset, and termed the decision as regrettable.
The exams were intended for the recruitment of 194 Goods Train Manager posts, and 101 Limited Departmental Competitive Examination (LDCE) posts. Alleging that Kannadigas have faced disadvantages in central recruitment due to preference for Hindi and English, he expressed concern that the issue arose despite V Somanna representing the state.
He urged PM Narendra Modi to intervene and ensure that future examinations are conducted in Kannada, and called for the rescheduling of the cancelled exams at the earliest.