Railway exam: Union Minister directs authorities not to remove sacred thread, Mangalsutra
Bengaluru: Union Minister of State for Railways and Jal Shakti, V. Somanna, has issued directions to the authorities not to remove sacred threads and mangalsutras from candidates appearing for the exam for the nursing superintendent posts organised by the Railway Recruitment Board.
Earlier, a circular issued by the Department of Railways, mentioned in the candidates’ admission letters, had stated that individuals wearing sacred threads, mangalsutras, and other religious symbols would not be allowed inside the exam centres. Various Hindu organisations had expressed outrage over this circular
A mangalsutra is a sacred necklace, usually with black beads and gold, worn by Hindu married women. It symbolises the marital status.
Mangaluru BJP MP Brajesh Chowta brought the matter to the notice of the Railway Department and also spoke to the Union Minister about it.
Taking to social media platform X on Monday, MP Brajesh Chowta stated, “Glad to inform that, after we brought it to his attention, our Union Minister of State V. Somanna has intervened and instructed authorities not to indulge in any such practices that require those appearing for the examination for the post of ‘Nursing Superintendent’ of Indian Railways to remove religious symbols and ornaments like the Mangalsutra and Janivara, as was said to be required by the letter of admission.”
Meanwhile, reacting to the development, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar stated, “The BJP says one thing and does another. That is their true face. Saying that mangalsutra and janivara must be removed during the railway examination is not correct. This order must be withdrawn.”
Shivakumar was responding to questions from the media near his residence in Bengaluru on Monday morning.
When asked about the ban on wearing the janivara and mangalsutra during the railway exam, he said, “Religious symbols such as earrings, nose rings, mangalsutra, janivara, sacred thread, and vermillion mark on the forehead are commonly worn. Authorities may conduct inspections, but it is not right to force their removal. In the past, we have seen instances where small devices were misused to cheat in exams. People themselves must express their outrage against this.”
The department had earlier listed religious symbols, ornaments, bangles, and mangalsutras among the banned items. The list also included electronic gadgets such as mobile phones, pagers, watches, earphones, Bluetooth-enabled devices, microphones, health bands, calculators, books, pens, papers, pencils, erasers, pouches, scales, writing pads, metallic wear, belts, bracelets, and handbags.
The development comes close on the heels of the removal of sacred threads from students during the Common Entrance Test (CET), a state-level entrance exam conducted by the Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA) for admissions to various undergraduate courses, including engineering, medical, and dental programmes, which has stirred controversy in Karnataka.
Incidents of students not being allowed to exam centres were reported in Shivamogga, Bidar and Dharwad cities.
The sacred threads were cut before allowing the students to write the exam.
In Bidar, the authorities denied permission to allow a student to write the CET exam after he refused to take out the sacred thread.
Notably, the Congress-led government in Karnataka has apologised for the issues and given orders to suspend the Pre-University College Principal and staff.
The government has also said that the student, who was denied permission to appear for the exam, would be given justice.
The Akhila Karnataka Brahmana Mahasangh filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Karnataka High Court on Saturday, condemning the removal of sacred threads from students during the Common Entrance Test (CET).
The Karnataka BJP has filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission over the sacred thread row, in which students wearing janviara/janeu were denied entry to write the CET in the state.
In his complaint, Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Assembly R. Ashoka highlighted that while Hindu students wearing sacred threads were denied entry, Muslim girls wearing hijab were allowed to write the examinations.