The South Western Railway on Tuesday postponed departmental promotion examinations across Karnataka following widespread protests over the absence of an option to write the tests in Kannada. The exams, part of a recruitment process to fill 295 posts in the Hubballi division, were scheduled to be conducted in cities including Bengaluru and Hubballi.
The examinations included 194 Goods Train Manager positions under a 60% promotional quota and additional posts through a Limited Departmental Competitive Examination (LDCE). However, protests erupted after candidates objected to the exams being conducted only in English and Hindi, excluding Kannada.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah strongly criticised the railway authorities for the last-minute decision, stating that the abrupt postponement created confusion and uncertainty among employees. He noted that concerns had been raised well in advance by thousands of Kannada-speaking candidates, but the authorities failed to respond in time.
Members of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike staged demonstrations at multiple exam centres, with some entering venues and demanding the inclusion of Kannada as a medium of examination. The organisation argued that restricting language options puts local candidates at a disadvantage.
Railway officials confirmed that both morning and afternoon sessions were postponed due to the protests and assured that new dates would be announced soon. The incident has reignited the debate over language inclusivity in central government recruitment processes.
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