A fresh controversy erupted in Karnataka on Sunday, May 4, during the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for undergraduate medical admissions, after a student was allegedly forced to remove his sacred thread, worn by Brahmins, before entering the examination centre.
The incident took place at St. Mary’s PU College in Kalaburagi, where Shripad Sudhir Patil, a student from Basavakalyan taluk in Bidar district, was reportedly stopped at the entrance and asked to remove the sacred thread. His father, Sudhir Patil, who was waiting outside, said the student had no choice but to comply.
“He went in half an hour ago to write the exam. He was told to remove the sacred thread and sent back outside to leave it here. I was not allowed to go inside. He placed the sacred thread in my hand and then went in to write the exam,” Sudhir Patil told news agency ANI.
News of the incident spread quickly, triggering a strong backlash from the Brahmin community and various Hindu organisations. By afternoon, members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), community leaders, and BJP supporters had gathered at the exam centre to stage a protest.
Protesters accused the exam authorities of hurting religious sentiments and violating the government’s own guidelines, which do not mandate the removal of religious symbols unless they pose a clear threat to examination integrity.
In response to the uproar, the Karnataka state government swiftly registered a case against the officials involved and issued fresh instructions to prevent such incidents in the future.
This incident follows a similar controversy during the Common Entrance Test (CET) held earlier, which also drew sharp criticism.