Bengaluru: The South Western Railway (SWR) department has finally succumbed to the intense protests led by the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV). The railway department today cancelled the Goods Train Manager LDCE (Limited Departmental Competitive Examination) promotion exam, which was set to be conducted only in Hindi and English. KRV activists across the state had expressed immense outrage against the department's move to exclude the Kannada language from the examination process.
A Victory for the Struggle
The examination was scheduled for today (March 17) for the promotion of 101 posts in the Hubballi division and a total of 194 Goods Train Manager posts across South Western Railway. However, candidates were only allowed to write the exam in Hindi or English, with no option for Kannada. Terming this an injustice to Kannadigas, a state-wide protest was launched under the leadership of KRV State President T.A. Narayana Gowda.
Siege of Examination Centers
As the exam began at 10:00 AM this morning, KRV activists attempted to lay siege to the MDDTI Training Centre in Bengaluru, as well as examination centers in Mysuru and Hubballi. Hundreds of activists gathered in front of the Divisional Railway Manager's (DRM) office in Bengaluru, shouting slogans against the Central Government and Union Ministers from the state to express their anger.
Detention by Police
As the protests intensified, the police intervened and took several KRV activists into custody, transporting them away in buses. The railway department was shaken by the sheer scale of the protest and the firm stance of the activists, who declared that their struggle would not end until justice was served for Kannadigas.
Decision by the Railway Department
Observing that the situation was escalating, South Western Railway officials immediately issued an order cancelling the examination. This move is seen as a temporary victory for the struggle for linguistic rights in the state. While the exam has been postponed, the department is yet to provide clarity regarding the next steps and the inclusion of the Kannada language in future sessions.