Protests derail train services, disrupt exams in Karnataka

Services of the several trains were disrupted after activists of Karnataka Rakshana Vedika, KRV continued their protests on the fifth day and tried to disrupt the railway recruitment board group-D examination conducted by South Western Railway by storming the recruitment venues. However, the railway officials did not cease the tests, which commenced on January 3 despite prolong protests.

KRV protesters expressed their wrath against the “injustice� being meted out to ‘Kannadigas' in the ongoing recruitment process for filling 4,701 Group ‘D' vacancies.

Kannadigas are of the views that locals have been ignored in the ongoing recruitment process as large number of candidates took part in the examination especially comes from Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh and steals the opportunity to locals.

The police thrashed KRV activists in their attempt to storm the Yeshwanthpur Railway Station. In the melee, Yeshwanthpur – Nizamuddin Sampark Kranthi Express scheduled to leave Yeshwanthpur at 1.40 p.m. was held up for an hour. Activists detained Mysore-Bangalore Passenger for over 20 minutes, while protesting at Bidadi and Bangalore-Mysore Passenger for another 20 minutes. Members of the vedike detained Yeshwanthpur-Dadar Chalukya Express at Dharwad Railway Station for about 20 minutes urging the Railway authorities to stop the recruitment process immediately.

Police prevented the protesters from entering and interrupting the Yeshwanthpur Railway Grounds where the physical fitness test was going on in Bangalore on Tuesday morning.

Besides the Karnataka Rakshana Vedika, also the Bhartiya Janata Party among several organisations staged dharna in Hubli and Dharwad.

The officials reportedly gave in written after the delegation exerted pressure on them that written tests would be conducted in Kannada also

Although the members of the action committee reached the Railway Office at 4pm, they were not permitted to enter the premises. After waiting for nearly two hours and not being allowed to enter the office, angered on the occasion, the action committee members forced their entry and met the Divisional Railway Manager S. Vijayaraghavan and insisted that he give the details of recruitment.

Owing to the pressure led by P. Mallesh, the Divisional Railway Manager finally disclosed that out of 330 candidates who attended the physical fitness test, there were 26 Kannadigas. The official also explained the steps followed in the recruitment process and show the written statements that no injustice was done to anybody.

Restricted publicity about recruitment in the Kannada language media caused the low presence of Kannadis comparatively other candidates.

Meanwhile Oscar Fernandes, the Union Minister of State for Labour narrowly escaped the wrath of KRV activists protesting against the discrimination and injustice in Group D recruitment examination. Oscar was freed 30 minutes after police intervened and cordoned off the minister.

Protesters were of the demand that Group D vacancies should be filled with local candidates and the tests should not be held on an all India basis and Kannadigas should be offered reservation in such exams.