Karnataka Police Constable Exam: Aspirants protest alleged lapses at Vijayapura centre, seek re-exam

Bengaluru: Protests erupted at a police constable recruitment exam centre in Karnataka's Vijayapura district on Sunday after aspirants alleged lapses in the conduct of the written test, with many walking out and demanding a re-examination. The district administration, however, rejected the allegations, saying the examination was conducted in strict compliance with the Karnataka Examinations Authority Standard Operating Procedure.

Hundreds of candidates at Sharadamba PU College in Tikota boycotted the examination, alleging delays in the distribution of question papers and irregularities in the handling of question papers and OMR sheets.

Several aspirants staged a protest outside the centre, alleging that the lapses had adversely affected candidates who had spent years preparing for the recruitment.

Applicants seek re-exam over delays

According to the candidates, the question papers, scheduled to be distributed at 10.30 am, reached them about 30 minutes late. They also alleged that the procedure for distributing question papers and OMR sheets varied from one classroom to another, prompting many to walk out and demand a fresh examination.

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Sources said candidates who left the examination hall carrying question papers and OMR sheets had violated KEA rules and were therefore not allowed to re-enter.

Deputy Commissioner of Vijayapura T Bhoobalan, Superintendent of Police Laxman Nimbargi and other officials visited the examination centre following the protest. Officials said Sharadamba PU College was one of the 61 examination centres in the district.

Officials defend examination conduct

Similar issues were reported at a few other centres, though most candidates resumed writing the examination after supervisors explained the prescribed procedure. The written examination was conducted at more than 800 centres across Karnataka for recruitment to 3,991 Civil Police Constable posts, with around 4.54 lakh candidates appearing.

As part of measures to enhance transparency, the KEA uploaded candidates' OMR answer sheets to its website within 30 minutes of the examination. Candidates were required to mark the fifth option if they did not know the answer to a question, as leaving it blank would attract negative marking.

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Opposition demands inquiry, re-examination

Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka criticised the state government over the incident, alleging administrative failure. In a post on X, he claimed, "Another recruitment examination, another failure of the Congress government." He demanded the resignation of Home Minister Priyank Kharge, cancellation of the examination at the affected centre, a re-examination and an independent inquiry into the incident.

In subsequent posts, Ashoka claimed that similar issues had also been reported from Haveri and Hassan. He reiterated his demand for a transparent inquiry, action against those responsible and justice for the aspirants.