KALABURAGI: A candidate was allegedly asked to remove his janivara (the sacred thread worn largely by Brahmins) before writing the afternoon session of National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) at St Mary’s exam centre here on Sunday.
The incident, coming on the back of similar faux pas during the Common Entrance Test just a few days ago, triggered a large-scale protest on the main road in front of the college.
Activists from both sub-sects of Brahmins, Smarta and Vaishnava, also Lingayats and Dalits joined the protest.
Sudhir Patil, father of the candidate Sripad Patil, said his son came out of the exam centre with tears in his eyes and said officials were insisting on him removing the janivara before allowing him into the exam hall. On Sudhir’s advice, Sripad removed the janivara and went to write the test.
Sripad is from Bet Balkunda village of Basavakalyan taluk (Bidar district) and came to Kalaburagi to write NEET.
The Sanatana Yuva Shakti Trust, Akhila Bharat Madhwa Maha Parishat and ABVP supported the protest.
Kalaburagi DC to conduct inquiry
Kalaburagi South MLA Allamaprabhu Patil came to the venue, spoke with the activists and telephoned the deputy commissioner and police commissioner and asked them to hold a proper inquiry and punish the guilty. The protesters shouted slogans and held a dharna for nearly two hours. They wanted the police to bring out the accused who asked the candidate to remove the janivara and make him apologise.
When Sripad came out after finishing the test, the protesters conducted a ceremony to make him wear the janivara again. Uttaradi Mutt Mathadhikari Ramacharya Ghanti chanted mantras and made Sripad wear a fresh janivara. Priests from both Vaishnava and Smartha sub-castes chanted mantras.
Sripad told the media that as he was tensed after asked to remove the janivara, he wrote the wrong registration number on the answer sheet. He demanded a reexamination for him.
Official sources told TNIE that two persons (Ganesh and Sharanagouda) had been hired from the Revanasidda outsourcing agency to frisk candidates at the exam centre. They were told not to allow any metal objects or threads.
Sources said that officials frisking Sripad did not specifically ask him to remove the janivara. But Sripad got confused, went out in tears and handed over the janivara to his father.
Kalaburagi Deputy Commissioner Fouzia Taranum told TNIE that she will conduct an inquiry, including examining the CCTV footage, and take action against the guilty. The candidate and his parents are likely to file a complaint against the officials at the Station Bazar police station.