BANGALORE: Over 18,418 students from across the country attended the Consortium of Medical, Engineering and Dental Colleges in Karnataka (COMED-K) postgraduate entrance test for medical and dental streams on Sunday. However, around 30 students could not enter the examination hall at the MS Ramaiah College of Arts and Science, due to confusion on certificates.
These students alleged that there was a lot of confusion regarding certificates they were supposed to carry while appearing for the examination. “The hall ticket mentions that we were supposed to carry a copy of the original date-of-birth certificate and ID proof, along with photographs. We carried photocopies of these certificates, but were not allowed inside. We were under the impression that we had to carry just photocopies,” said Dr Kavita S, a student from Mysore.
Having arrived at the examination centre more than an hour prior to the exam, many students were left in the lurch as the authorities refused to let them in. “Starting from the submission of applications till the hall tickets were issued, we have clearly specified that students are supposed to carry their original certificates. Nowhere have we mentioned that photocopies need to be carried,” clarified A S Srikanth, Chief Executive, COMED-K.
Meanwhile, some suffering students blamed the authorities for not being considerate of their problems. “I was carrying my original college ID proof but I lost it in an auto two days ago, when I came to Bangalore. I had my original PAN card in my hotel and I went to get it as soon as I was stopped. But, I reached the college at 3.30 pm, an hour after the exam had started,” lamented Jyoti Singh, a student from Chattisgarh.
Meanwhile, a group of students from Andhra Pradesh too were not allowed because they carried driving licences that were issued after January 13, 2012.
“I agree that the hall ticket and examination guidelines said that only driving licences issued prior to January 13, 2012 will be considered. But, it’s not my fault that I received my DL a little late. The authorities should have been a little considerate,” said Sudha Devi, a student of Andhra Pradesh.
A group of these students have now pledged to file a case against COMED-K for not considering their please and allegedly misguiding them.
“They are most welcome to go ahead and file a case... Our only stance is that they did not stick to the guidelines that were issued to them. They will now have to reappear for the test next time,” asserted Srikanth.
Out of the 18,418 candidates who appeared for the examination, 12,909 appeared for medical, while 5,509 students appeared for dental.