Exclusion of Kannada language: Railway recruitment exam postponed after protests by Karnataka Rakshana Vedike

The South Western Railway (SWR) on Tuesday (March 17, 2026) morning deferred its scheduled recruitment examination following protests by members of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV), who objected to the test being conducted only in English and Hindi.

The examination was planned as part of a departmental promotion process in the Hubballi Division, covering 295 vacancies. These included 194 posts of Goods Train Manager under the 60% promotional quota and additional positions through the Limited Departmental Competitive Examination (LDCE) under the 15% quota.

KRV activists staged demonstrations at multiple examination centres across Karnataka, including in Bengaluru and Hubballi. Protesters entered some venues and demanded that the examination be offered in Kannada as well. The organisation has been opposing the exclusion of the regional language, arguing that it disadvantages local candidates and limits their participation in the recruitment process.

KRV leaders pointed out that, following similar protests in 2008, railway recruitment exams had been conducted in regional languages, including Kannada. They alleged that the authorities had now reverted to holding the tests only in Hindi and English, ignoring earlier assurances. KRV president T.A. Narayana Gowda said “we will not permit the examination to proceed without inclusion of the local language.”

An SWR official confirmed to The Hindu, and said that the morning session and afternoon session of the examination was postponed in view of the protests, adding that revised dates would be announced later.