A contemporary row has erupted in Karnataka following complaints from college students showing for the Frequent Entrance Take a look at (CET) that they had been compelled to take away their janivara (sacred thread) at examination centres in Shivamogga and Bidar.
The incidents, which allegedly occurred through the CET carried out on Wednesday and Thursday, have sparked widespread outrage, significantly among the many Brahmin group, who view the motion as a grave insult to their spiritual and cultural practices.
The controversy additionally indicated a scarcity of readability on carrying the janivara or rudraksha underneath the CET’s prescribed costume code.
State Increased Schooling Minister Dr M C Sudhakar has vowed strict motion towards employees of the Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA) and has sought an in depth report on the incident from its government director Prasanna H.
On the Adichunchanagiri PU Faculty in Shivamogga, one of many designated CET centres, college students and group leaders alleged “unprecedented humiliation.”
In response to complaints filed with the native authorities, safety personnel, together with a house guard, enforced a strict interpretation of the CET costume code, demanding that college students take away their janivara, kashidaara (sacred wrist threads), and rudraksha beads earlier than coming into the examination corridor.
In one other incident, one scholar’s sacred thread was allegedly lower by employees and discarded in a dustbin after the coed complied underneath duress.
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One other scholar, who resisted eradicating the thread, reportedly confronted related therapy. “The scholars had been already underneath stress for this significant examination. To be compelled to take away one thing so sacred after which see it desecrated was traumatic,” stated a mother or father.
Whereas some college students eliminated their threads with out protest and retrieved them after the examination, the incident got here to mild when one scholar knowledgeable their household, triggering an instantaneous response from the native Brahmin group.
By the night of April 16, the problem had gained traction, with group leaders rallying to demand justice.
A parallel incident unfolded on the Sai Spoorthi Examination Centre in Bidar, the place a Brahmin scholar was reportedly barred from writing the Arithmetic portion of the CET after refusing to take away his janivara.
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In response to studies, the coed, who had ready rigorously for the examination to safe an engineering seat, was devastated by the ordeal.
The incidents have sparked criticism from Brahmin organisations throughout Karnataka. In Shivamogga, the Brahmina Sanghagala Okkuta, led by former MLA Ok B Prasanna Kumar, lodged a proper grievance with Gurudatta Hegde, Deputy Commissioner, on Thursday, condemning the actions as a “direct assault on Hindu spiritual practices.”
The grievance highlighted the emotional toll on college students, a lot of whom had lately undergone the Gayatri Diksha, a ceremony carefully tied to the janivara.
“These kids had been getting ready for a life-changing examination, solely to be humiliated for his or her religion,” MLA Kumar instructed reporters.
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The All Karnataka Brahmin Mahasabha echoed these sentiments, demanding an intensive investigation into each incidents and strict motion towards the officers concerned.
In Bidar, group leaders referred to as on the district Justice of the Peace to intervene, arguing that the exclusion of a scholar from the examination violated his elementary rights. Protests erupted in Shivamogga, with members of the Brahmin group gathering exterior the Adichunchanagiri Faculty, holding placards and chanting slogans for justice.
Talking to reporters in Bengaluru, minister Sudhakar stated, “I strongly condemn the act and I deeply respect the beliefs and customs of all communities. I learnt in regards to the incident solely later, as a result of Cupboard assembly on Thursday. I’ve sought an in depth report from KEA on the incidents. Applicable motion might be taken towards KEA employees if they’re discovered responsible.”
On whether or not a CET candidate, who allegedly was barred from the examination for carrying the sacred thread, would get a chance to reappear, Sudhakar clarified, “We’ll evaluation and take motion as per the report’s findings.”
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Brahmin organisations and affected households have demanded a complete investigation into the incidents at Adichunchanagiri PU Faculty and Sai Spoorthi Examination Centre.
They sought disciplinary motion towards the house guard in Shivamogga and the employees in Bidar, who had been allegedly accountable for the incidents, and a proper apology from KEA and the examination centres for the misery brought about to college students.
The organisations additionally demanded coaching for examination employees on cultural and non secular sensitivity. “If these calls for are usually not met, we’ll escalate our protests,” warned a consultant of the All Karnataka Brahmin Mahasabha. “This isn’t nearly one examination; it’s in regards to the dignity of our kids and our religion.”
The controversy has reignited debates about balancing examination safety with respect for spiritual range, a delicate subject in Karnataka following the 2022 hijab ban in instructional establishments. KEA, nonetheless, has banned face coverings, masks, and caps for examination candidates.