Faced with strong protests from pro-Kannada organisations, South Western Railways (SWR) has cancelled 12 departmental promotional examinations that were to be held in Hubballi on March 17 and 18.
The organisations were demanding that the promotional exams should also be held in Kannada. In Bengaluru, hordes of protesters surrounded the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) office situated next to Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna Railway station in Majestic on Tuesday, March 17.
Despite a considerable police presence at the station and the DRM’s office, protesters, led by Kannada Rakshana Vedike (KRV) city president A Dharamaraj Gowda tried to enter the station and ended up exchanging heated words with the police when they were barred from entering. Some of the protesters were detained and later released.
“Conducting exams only in Hindi and English was 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,” the Deccan Herald quoted a KRV leader during the protest.
KRV members staged a protest on March 17 at the entrance of the Railway Recruitment Cell office in Hubballi as well, blocking the entry of candidates and examination staff into the building.
An SWR release stated that new dates for the examinations would be notified in due course.
“It has been indicated that the matter regarding the inclusion of Kannada as a medium for departmental examinations will be taken up for discussion at an appropriate level, and the decision will be made based on the outcome of such deliberations. In Hubballi Division and Headquarters, the CBT examinations scheduled on 17th and 18th March 2026 have been postponed in view of the prevailing situation. Revised dates for the postponed examinations will be notified in due course,” the statement read.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah criticised the Railway Department for cancelling the exams. “Thousands of Kannada employees had already raised objections over the lack of provision to write the examination in Kannada. Despite peaceful protests, the department failed to respond in time, cancelling the examinations at the last moment and leading to the present confusion.
Had the department acted early and allowed the examination in Kannada, this situation could have been avoided. Instead, its indifferent approach and last-minute cancellation after protests intensified are condemnable,” the CM said in a statement.
He also said that this was not the first instance, nor would it be the last, of Kannadigas facing injustice in these exams. “Due to the continued imposition of Hindi in recruitment processes across central departments, Kannada candidates have long been subjected to unfair treatment,” he said.