NEW DELHI: Wary of backlash against candidates from Maharashtra where MNS targeted North Indians, the Railways on Wednesday postponed till further notice its recruitment examinations scheduled to be held in Patna on November 16 and 23.
While as many as 1,579 candidates had been called at five centres for November 16 for the RRB examination, there were 3,353 candidates for written examination on November 23 in a total seven centres in Patna.
The RRB examinations were meant to fill various posts including junior engineers, technicians, health inspectors, laboratory assistants.
While the Railway Ministry attributes the postponment to "unavoidable reasons", the possible presence of Maharashtrian candidates has apparently forced the ministry to defer the exam.
According to a senior railway ministry official, "the presence of candidates from Maharashtra cannot be ruled out as it is an all-India exam. But we do not maintain any state-wise datas of applicants while conducting exams."
Earlier RRB examinations scheduled to be held on November 9 at Ranchi and Patna were cancelled after candidates from Bihar were attacked by Raj Thackeray led MNS activists during the RRB examination in Mumbai on October 19.
After the cancellation of exam slated on November 9, Railways Minister Lalu Prasad had on November 7 said the recruitment examinations in eastern India had to be postponed due to "tension" among students and that they will be conducted if all the states guarantee their safety.
Prasad had also ruled out the possibility of conducting the railway recruitment examinations in a centralised mode.
