Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Sep 10: Activists of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV - T A Narayana Gowda faction) tried to lay siege to the examination centre of Karnataka Grameena Vikasa Bank in the city, in protest against alleged injustice being faced by Kannadigas in these appointments, on Sunday September 10.

KRV activists from Dakshina Kannada district unit tried to mob the designated examination centre for various posts in the said bank at around 7.30 am. The examination centre happens to be Besant Institution of Postgraduate Management Studies, Bondel.

KRV claims that this is a part of he conspiracy hatched by central government to deny Kannadigas jobs in Grammena Banks. It says that jobs which should have gone to Kannadigas are now being diverted to people from other states. KRV says that customer-friendly atmosphere, rural background and micro financing are the backbones of these banks, which will be lost if outsiders get these jobs. It points out that the NDA government removed the condition that applicants should have studied Kannada till tenth standard. The rule, modified in 2014, now prescribes that they have the option to learn Kannada within six months after joining for work.

Police personnel from Kavoor station who were on security duty at the centre, arrested the activists.

Speaking on the occasion, district president of KRV, Anil Das, demanded first preference to Kannadigas and not to employ people from outside the state within Karnataka. Officials representing the bank who met the protesters, assured to take up the issue with their central office.

KRV has demanded for reverting to the earlier rule about studying Kannada as a language till tenth standard as an eligibility criteria for Grameena Bank jobs failing which it said its activists will create disturbances for the examinations being held here in view of the fact that the Kannada-friendly atmosphere in rural banks will be a thing of the past.

KRV Mangaluru taluk president, Madhusudan Gowda, taluk women's wing president, Latashree Salian, president of Auto unit, Jerard D'Cunha, district vice president, Arun Kumar, vice president of students unit, Cinan, Tejas Nayak, A K Jamal, Elizabeth, Sridhar Shetty, Kanakappa, Manjunath, Balakrishna Poojary, Bheemanna, Kallanagowda and several other activists courted arrest.

Examinations are being held for Grameena Bank posts on September 9, 10, 16, 23, and 24.