The South Western Railway has postponed departmental promotion examinations across Karnataka following protests over the exclusion of Kannada as a language option.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has strongly criticized the decision, stating that it has left employees in uncertainty.
The examinations, part of a recruitment drive to fill 295 posts in the Hubballi Division, were scheduled to be held at centres including Bengaluru and Hubballi.
However, thousands of Kannada employees had raised objections over the lack of provision to write the examination in Kannada, leading to peaceful protests.
The Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, a local organization, staged demonstrations at multiple centres, demanding the inclusion of Kannada alongside English and Hindi.
The issue echoes earlier disputes, with KRV leaders alleging that the Central government wants to introduce the same language policy that led to protests in 2008.
Siddaramaiah has described the issue as part of a broader pattern of injustice faced by Kannadigas in central government examinations.
He has asked the Centre to ensure the examinations are conducted again at the earliest with an option to write in Kannada.
