Candidates appearing for the exams conducted by the Institute of Banking and Personnel Selection (IBPS) for recruitment to rural banks staged a protest in Machenahalli on the outskirts of the city on Saturday demanding priority for Kannadigas in the recruitment process.
The exam was held at the building owned by Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation Ltd.
Addressing the protest meet, Raghavendra, a candidate, demanded modification in the recruitment process. He said that an option should be provided to write the exams in regional languages. At present, exams can be written in English and Hindi owing to which a large number of non-Kannadigas are getting selected. The non-Kannadiga officers find it difficult to interact with farmers in rural areas, he said.
Priyanka, another candidate, said that reservation should be introduced for Kannadigas in regional rural banks in Karnataka. She urged the State government to apprise the Centre of the necessary amendments for the recruitment rules.
More than 100 candidates boycotted the exams as a token of protest.