An FIR has been filed against the CET exam conducting officer at Adichunchanagiri School in Sharavathinagara in Karnataka’s Shivamogga district, following a controversy over reports that students appearing for the Karnataka Common Entrance Test (CET) were allegedly asked to remove their sacred thread (Janeu), police said on April 18.
According to officials, the FIR has been filed under sections 115(2), 299, 351(1), and 352, read with section 3(5) of the BNS, 2023, based on a complaint lodged by a person identified as Nataraj Bhagavath.
Authorities have initiated an investigation into the matter to determine the circumstances under which students were allegedly instructed to remove religious symbols.
Reacting to the incident, Karnataka Higher Education Minister Dr MC Sudhakar termed it “very unfortunate” and confirmed that such complaints were also received from an exam centre in Bidar. However, he clarified that the examination process went smoothly at most other centres across the state.
“This incident is very unfortunate. It happened not only in Shivamogga but also in Bidar. Everywhere else, the process went smoothly except for two centres. The people responsible for checking or frisking for any gadgets, or even for whatever protocols were followed, were never instructed to check or remove such items,” he said while speaking to ANI.
“This was not mentioned to be checked or removed to write the exam. We respect all religions, their faith, and their deeds… We are not going to accept this, and we are going to take action…,” he added.
The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA), which oversees the Common Entrance Test (CET), has yet to issue an official statement.
The incident, where officials at Adichunchanagiri College forcibly removed the Janeu from students entering the exam center, has been condemned as not only an affront to religious sentiments but also as a gross violation of students’ rights to practice their religion freely.
The leaders of the All Karnataka Brahmin Mahasabha and the Federation of Various Brahmin Sanghas in Shivamogga have rightly condemned this act as anti-Brahmin and anti-Hindu.
More details are awaited.
A similar incident occurred at the Bidar district’s Saispurthi Examination Center, where a student was forcibly removed from the Mathematics exam after he refused to take off his Janeu. This incident has left him devastated, ruining his aspirations and dreams of pursuing an engineering degree. This unfair treatment against him and other students is not simply an isolated scenario; it is reflective of a growing trend where institutions disregard the diverse beliefs and practices of students in favour of maintaining uniformity, even when that uniformity comes at the expense of individual dignity.
(With inputs from ANI)
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