Candidates protest on railway track in Vijayapur against train delay

Candidates stage a protest on railway track in Vijayapur on Saturday. | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Candidates traveling from Vijayapura to Tumakuru and Bengaluru protested on the railway track as the Vijayapura-Yeshwantpur train suffered technical glitches in Vijayapura on Saturday.

They were supposed to write an entrance exam for a police constable.

Sources in the South Western Railway (SWR) said the train was scheduled to leave Vijayapura at 1:50 pm but started its journey at 2:35 pm. Locomotive engine malfunctions at Ibrahimpur. An estimated 1,000 candidates traveled on the train. Angered by the delay, they blocked the Basava Express train coming from the opposite side and raised slogans against the SWR.

Railway protection workers tried to convince them, but in vain.

SWR officials secured a replacement locomotive and the train started after a four-hour delay. Candidates warned that if they lose the opportunity to appear for the exam, the responsibility should be on SWR.

SWR then managed to run the train on priority basis and dropped the candidates at Yeshwantpur by 7.10am on Sunday against the scheduled time of 5.00am. Candidates were allowed to attend the exam.

Meanwhile, Government Railway Police officials detained the Chandigarh-bound Sampark Kranti train on suspicion that some Bangladeshis were traveling in it.

The action followed a complaint lodged by members of a Hindutva organization in Davangere on Saturday. Train No. 22685 Yeshwantpur-Chandigarh Samkark Kranti Expresss was detained by GRP personnel for some time.

“When the train arrived at 7.30 pm, the local police along with the railway police inspected the train. We did not find any Bangladeshi in the train. We verified the woman’s documents and confirmed that she is from Uttar Pradesh. No one was arrested,” police sources said.

Published – 06 Sep 2026 20:40 IST