MANGALURU/BENGALURU, 28 APRIL

The Railways on Monday withdrew an instruction to candidates appearing for the Nursing Superintendent examination to remove religious symbols worn by them, after the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and other religious organisations strongly objected to it.

The railway authorities have issued a clarification that candidates will not be required to remove religious symbols, such as the mangalsutra (a sacred necklace worn by married Hindu women) and janivara(sacred thread worn by Brahmins), before entering the exam hall.

Following the outrage, Minister of State for Railways V Somanna has also clarified that candidates appearing for the Railway Recruitment Board's Nursing Superintendent exam would not be required to remove any religious symbols on their person. He also instructed officials to ensure that religious sentiments are respected during the examination process.

According to the officials, the examination is scheduled to be held on 29 April at the Manail Srinivas Nayak Besant Vidya Kendra in Bondel in Mangaluru.

Initially, the admit cards had directed candidates to remove the mangalsutra and janivara before writing the exam.

Sharan Pumpwell, regional leader of the VHP, said, "We are watching the developments; if any of these measures (removal of Hindu religious symbols from candidates) are enforced by the examination authorities, we will take the corrective course."

Hindu organisations argued that it deeply hurt their religious sentiments. "Asking married women to remove their mangalsutra and sindoor and asking men to remove their janivara amounts to attacking sacred Hindu traditions followed by crores of people," a VHP spokesperson said.