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Bengaluru: The education department has taken major action in the case of removing the sacred thread and Rakshasutra (Kalava) from the students during the CET examination in Karnataka. On the instructions of the education department, the management of Sai Sphurti PU College dismissed Principal Chandrashekhar Biradar and second class clerk Satish Pawar for allegedly refusing to allow Karnataka Common Entrance Test (KCET) candidate Suchivrata Kulkarni to appear for the examination on Thursday due to wearing sacred thread. Following the report of Bidar Deputy Commissioner Shilpa Sharma, the Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA) and the Karnataka Higher Education Department directed the dismissal of both.
The principal and the clerk were found negligent for not following the KEA protocol, under which wearing non-metallic sacred thread and Kalava was allowed during the KCET examination. The report also revealed that the PU college staff had made derogatory remarks at the student.
However, the student appeared for Physics and Chemistry exams on April 16 at the same exam centre wearing a sacred thread, highlighting the “inconsistency in following the rules”. The deputy commissioner’s report recommended disciplinary action against the two and corrective measures for the students.
However, the government is yet to take any decision on giving the student a second chance. “The matter will be discussed with Higher Education Minister Dr M C Sudhakar that the student will get ranking for engineering courses despite being absent in the mathematics exam. Besides, the minister will take up the matter with the chief minister before deciding on holding the re-examination so that there is fairness for all and justice is given to the student,” said an education official.
Meanwhile, home guards Raghu D and Kalavathi, who were responsible for a similar incident in Shivamogga, have been suspended over the sacred thread controversy. DC Gurudutt Hegde said in the interim report submitted to the KEA that “it was found that the home guards had instructed a student appearing for the morning exam to remove the sacred thread on April 16. The student voluntarily removed the thread and went to take the exam. However, the report refuted the claim that the home guards forcibly removed the sacred thread and the girl student was prevented from entering.
The report further said that later two other students arrived at the examination hall wearing the Kalava. At that time, the principal of Sri Adichunchanagiri Composite English Medium High School sought clarification from the Deputy Director of Pre-University over the phone and upon receiving the clarification, allowed the students to appear for the exam without removing the thread. The report also found that the afternoon session (Chemistry) on April 16 and the exam held on April 17 were conducted at the same examination centre without any disruption.
Meanwhile, Shivamogga police have also registered a case against unknown CET officials in the matter based on a complaint by CET candidate Nataraj Bhagwat. He had alleged that the examination centre officials cut off the sacred threads of the students. The officials allegedly threatened the students that they would be barred from entering the examination hall if they wore the sacred thread. The complainant has alleged that the examination centre officials cut off the sacred threads worn on the hands of the students and threw them in the dustbin.
