Candidates stage protest on railway track at Vijayapura against train delay

Candidates travelling from Vijayapura to Tumakuru and Bengaluru staged a protest on the railway track on Saturday after facing a significant delay on the Vijayapura-Yeshwantpur train. The train, which was set to depart at 1.50 p.m., started its journey four hours later at 2.35 p.m. due to technical glitches at Vijayapura. Upon investigation, it was found that the locomotive engine had developed faults at Ibrahimpur.

An estimated 1,000 candidates were on board the train, preparing to write the police constable recruitment examination. Enraged by the delay, the candidates blocked the Basava Express coming from the opposite direction and raised slogans against the South Western Railway (SWR). Railway Protection Force personnel attempted to mediate, but their efforts were unsuccessful.

SWR officials arranged for an alternative locomotive, and the train eventually started after a delay of four hours. The candidates were eventually dropped at Yeshwantpur on Sunday by 7.10 a.m., four hours later than the scheduled time of 5 a.m. The candidates argued that if they missed the examination, SWR should bear the responsibility.

Meanwhile, the Government Railway Police detained the Sampark Kranti train heading to Chandigarh on suspicion of Bangladeshis traveling on board. Upon inspection, no Bangladeshi nationals were found, and the train was cleared.