BENGALURU: A report by the Bengaluru Traffic Police on a NEET aspirant’s late arrival at an examination centre on Sunday has sparked a fresh political confrontation between the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP-JDS.
The BTP said the candidate missed the examination centre cut-off time due to a late departure from home and route selection, not because of traffic congestion. Citing the findings, the Congress accused the BJP and JDS leaders of spreading misinformation by blaming a Congress event for the delay, stating, “Facts matter. Propaganda doesn’t.”
In a fact-check report based on CCTV footage, route analysis, and interactions with the candidate and parents, the police established a timeline of the candidate’s movement on the day of the examination.
According to the findings, the candidate left her residence in RT Nagar at 12.57 pm, while the prescribed cut-off time for entry into the examination centre was 1.30 pm. CCTV footage showed that the candidate reached the examination centre area at 1.33 pm, three minutes after the cut-off time.
‘Candidate had opted for longer route’
The police stated that the candidate departed only 33 minutes before the prescribed entry deadline, leaving little margin for travel. Route analysis further revealed that the candidate had opted for a longer route despite the availability of a shorter alternative that could have enabled quicker travel.
In a statement on social media, the Congress said the police findings had categorically ruled out traffic snarls linked to the party programme as a factor in the candidate missing the examination cut-off time.
The ruling party alleged that opposition leaders attempted to politicise an unfortunate incident involving a student for political gain. It maintained that the Traffic Police’s evidence-based findings had exposed what it termed as false allegations against the Congress.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president BK Hariprasad said, “After attempting to blame a Congress rally for a NEET candidate’s delay, the facts have revealed a completely different story. It is unfortunate that BJP leaders chose to exploit a student’s situation and spread misinformation for political mileage rather than stand by the truth.”
Hariprasad also applauded the Bengaluru Traffic Police for their evidence-based investigation that has exposed the false narrative of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
“Truth cannot be buried under propaganda. Those who blamed the government should apologise now,’’ the newly appointed KPCC chief added.