CET officials booked for asking students to remove sacred thread
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Shivamogga: Police have registered a case against officials at Adichunchanagiri PU College, a CET exam centre, for allegedly instructing students to remove their 'Janivaras' (sacred threads worn by Brahmins) before entering the examination hall. The complaint, filed on Friday by Natraj Bhagavath of the Karnataka Brahmin Sabha, led to the FIR.
The FIR cites sections 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings), 351(1) (criminal intimidation), 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of peace), and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The complainant claimed that despite informing the district administration, no legal action was taken against the officials involved. He stated that asking students to remove their 'Janivaras' (sacred threads) before entering the examination hall deeply hurt the sentiments of both the students and the community.
The incident has sparked widespread controversy, prompting Karnataka's Higher Education Minister, M.C. Sudhakar, to assure that action would be taken against those responsible. The Common Entrance Test (CET), conducted for admissions into professional courses, became the centre of this issue.
According to police, three students were allegedly asked by security staff at the Adichunchanagiri PU College exam centre on Wednesday to remove their 'Janivaras'. While one student refused and was allowed to write the exam, the other two complied and removed the sacred threads before entering the hall.
"As per the preliminary inquiry, when we questioned the college authorities, they said that only the building is given for examination from their side and that they don't have any role in conducting or facilitating the entrance exams, while the staff at the examination centre claimed that they did not ask any students to remove their shirts or the sacred thread. As per regulation, all they asked them was to remove the Kashi dhara (sacred thread worn around the wrist)," a senior police officer said.
"These are allegations which need to be verified, and for that a detailed inquiry is being conducted," he added.
(inputs from PTI)
