Railways withdraws mangalsutra ban on recruitment exam candidates after outrage
The Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) on Monday withdrew an order that barred women candidates of a recruitment exam from wearing mangalsutras and sacred threads after it drew flak.
As per admission letters issued for the nursing superintendent exam, a Railways circular barred entry to individuals wearing religious symbols such as sacred threads and mangalsutras, triggering outrage from Hindu organisations as well as BJP leaders. The mangalsutra, a necklace with black beads and gold, is a sacred symbol of marriage worn by Hindu women.
Brajesh Chowta, BJP MP for Karnataka's Dakshina Kannada constituency, took up the matter with Union Minister of State for Railways V Somanna. 'Glad to inform that, after we brought it to his attention, Union Minister V Somanna has intervened and instructed authorities not to enforce the removal of religious symbols and ornaments like the Mangalsutra and Janivara for candidates appearing for the Indian Railways 'Nursing Superintendent' examination,' he wrote on X.
ದಿನಾಂಕ 28, 29 ಮತ್ತು 30 ಏಪ್ರಿಲ್ 2025ರಂದು ರೈಲ್ವೆ ಇಲಾಖೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ನೇಮಕಾತಿಗಾಗಿ ಪರೀಕ್ಷೆ ನಡೆಯುತ್ತಿದೆ.
ಅಭ್ಯರ್ಥಿಗಳು ಜನಿವಾರ, ಮಾಂಗಲ್ಯ ಸೂತ್ರ ತೆಗೆದಿಟ್ಟು ಪರೀಕ್ಷೆ ಬರೆಯಬೇಕೆಂಬ ವಿಷಯವನ್ನು ಪರೀಕ್ಷಾ ನಿಯಮದಲ್ಲಿ ಉಲ್ಲೇಖಿಸಲಾಗಿದೆಯೆಂಬ ದೂರುಗಳು ನನಗೆ ಬಂದಿದೆ.
ಈ ಬಗ್ಗೆ, ಸಂಸದರು, ಶಾಸಕರು ಇದನ್ನು ಸರಿಪಡಿಸುವಂತೆ ಮನವಿ…
— V. Somanna (@VSOMANNA_BJP) April 28, 2025
Initially, the banned list included ornaments, bangles, sacred threads, mangalsutras, and electronic gadgets like mobile phones, watches, Bluetooth devices, and calculators.
Somanna said he had directed officials not to prohibit candidates from wearing sacred threads and mangalsutras.
The development follows a controversy during a recent Karnataka's Common Entrance Test (CET) where sacred threads were removed from candidates before they were allowed to sit for the exam. Cases were reported from Shivamogga, Bidar, and Dharwad that authorities had cut sacred threads or denied entry to students who had refused to remove them.
Reacting to the fresh controversy, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar criticised the BJP, which rules the Centre. 'The BJP says one thing and does another. It's wrong to insist that candidates remove mangalsutras and janivaras for the exam. Such orders must be withdrawn,' he said.
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