Railway Horata Samiti volunteers staged a symbolic rail roko on Thursday at Mangalore Railway station as a mark of resentment against the alleged extension of Matsyagandha Train to Thiruvananthapuram.

The protesters held a procession from Hotel Woodlands to Railway station and assembled at Mangalore Railway station and symbolically stopped the rail which was set to leave to Thiruvananthapuram for about 10 minutes.

The volunteers who laid on the track, blocking the way wound up their protest after Railway Traffic Inspector S M Narayan assured to bring the issues raised by the protesters to the notice of senior officers.

Samiti Convener Dinesh Hegde Ulepady said that the Railway department is further misguiding the people by unsatisfactory clarification on the extension issue.

He alleged that people from Kerala have also been booking tickets through internet booking, which have been reserved for Kannadigas.

Where are Kannadigas?

Mr Hegde said that in the railway station there are no employees who know Kannada. Kannada has been sidelined even when it comes to boards in the station. In this regard, he urged that Kannadigas must be given priority while recruitment and Kannada training must be provided to the non-Kannadigas if they are being recruited.

Mr Hegde declared that people from this region had sacrificed their land and money to bring Konkan Railway into existence. “To save this Konkan railway, we are ready to even sacrifice our lives,” he said.

Nagarika Hithrakshana Vedike Convener Hanumath Kamath, former mayor Diwakar  and others participated in the protest.