SWR puts off exams after high-voltage protests over Kannada exclusion

Bengaluru: High drama unfolded outside the divisional railway manager’s (DRM) office here on Tuesday as scores of pro-Kannada organisations and aspirants protested against the South Western Railway (SWR) administration, demanding that departmental promotional exams should also be conducted in Kannada. 

The agitation, directed at the conduct of the Limited Departmental Competitive Examination (LDCE), eventually forced the authorities to postpone the exam indefinitely. 

Twelve departmental selection exam covering the staff of the Hubballi division and the SWR headquarters were scheduled to be held at Railway Recruitment Cell (RRC), Hubballi, on March 17 and 18. 

In Hubballi, members of the Kannada Rakshana Vedike (KRV) staged a protest at the RRC office entrance, restricting the entry of candidates and examination staff. 

According to the KRV, a 2025 notification initially allowed candidates to take the exam in Kannada, but a last-minute change restricted the medium of examination to only Hindi and English. 

High drama at Majestic

The state capital witnessed high drama as a massive posse of police transformed the KSR Bengaluru railway station and the DRM’s office into a fortress.

Despite a prohibitory notice issued by the Cottonpet police on Monday, hundreds of KRV activists, led by city president T A Dharmaraj Gowda and state general secretary B Sannirappa, attempted to storm the station. The protesters were stopped at the main gates, leading to heated arguments and scuffles with the police. Several activists, including state women’s wing leader Sahana Shekhar, were detained and taken away in police vans. 

“Conducting exams only in Hindi and English is a conspiracy to deprive local Kannadigas of their rightful promotions. Many ‘C’ and ‘D’ group employees are fluent only in Kannada. We will not allow this ‘language imperialism’ to continue,” a KRV leader shouted during the stir. 

“The competent authority has decided to postpone the examination. I am only the conducting officer and this is the information I have. Please cooperate and vacate the premises,” the official said, addressing the agitated crowd. 

While the official confirmed the postponement, he remained unclear regarding the new dates or whether the language format would be amended. 

KRV state president T A Narayana Gowda told DH that the RRC chairman, Asif Ansari, personally confirmed the postponement of the exams over a phone call. 

“This is a victory for the people of Karnataka. But our fight doesn’t end here. If they attempt to reschedule the exams without including Kannada, we will shut down the entire railway network in the state,” Gowda warned. 

He said a delegation would meet Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw at the residence of Union Minister Pralhad Joshi in Delhi on March 21. The delegation intends to demand a permanent policy change ensuring all railway recruitment and promotion exams in the state are conducted in the local language. 

While the SWR cited technical reasons and administrative exigencies for the postponement, fresh dates for the LDCE are yet to be announced. In a statement, SWR said the matter regarding the inclusion of Kannada for departmental examinations would be taken up for discussion at an appropriate level, and the decision would be made based on the outcome of such deliberations.