Two staff members from Sai Spoorthi Pre-University College in Bidar were suspended after a student alleged that he was not allowed to appear for the Karnataka Common Entrance Test (CET) because he refused to take off his Janivara — a sacred thread traditionally worn by some Hindu men as part of their religious identity. Furthermore, three more new cases have come to light amid the incident of desecration of a student’s ‘Janeu’ in Shivamogga during the Common Entrance Test (CET) for engineering and other faculties in Karnataka.
Reports suggest that three more students have been forced to remove ‘Janeu’ in Bidar, Gadag and Dharwad in Karnataka. Three Brahmin students have now alleged that they were either not allowed to enter the examination hall or they were forced to remove their sacred thread before the examination. A student told reporters in Dharwad that after the incident he was so upset that he was not able to concentrate on the exam.
Case Registered
Meanwhile, a case has been registered against officials at Adichunchanagiri PU College, a CET examination centre in Shivamogga, Karnataka, for allegedly asking students to remove their Janivara (sacred thread) before entering the exam hall. According to police, two home guards deployed at the centre who instructed students to remove the sacred thread have been suspended. The case was filed on Friday following a complaint by Nataraj Bhagwat, a member of the Karnataka Brahmin Sabha.
Police Registered A Case
A case has been registered against the accused under sections 115 (2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 299 (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), 351 (1) (criminal intimidation), 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.
Two Home Guards Suspended
The complainant alleged that despite the incident being brought to the notice of the district administration, no legal action was taken against the concerned officials and asking the students to remove ‘Janivar’ before entering the examination hall had hurt the sentiments of the students as well as the community. Following the direction of the district in-charge minister, Madhu Bangarappa, Shivamogga Deputy Commissioner Gurudutt Hegde suspended the two home guards and a report has been submitted to the Karnataka Examination Authority, which conducts the CET.
