Shoes to hair & pen to bottle, frisking gets intense

Students taking the first phase of National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) on Sunday were stunned when they were asked to take off their footwear and enter the exam hall. Many were even asked to leave their analogue watches outside.

“It was so strange. I had to take the exam barefoot. I wore an analogue watch. What possible calculation can be done with it? My water bottle was transparent. Yet, they did not let it in.” When Vinyas S, a student at Vidya Mandir College, walked out of Kendriya Vidyalaya after taking the exam, he had several complaints.

Scores of other students who took the exam had a similar experience. From clothes to jackets and water bottles to pens, everything was searched thoroughly. “Are we thieves? Why such strict frisking? It’s so embarrassing to undergo frisking with so many people around,” said Aditya, another student.

Some female students said they felt uncomfortable entering the exam hall without scarves and jackets, which they had to leave outside. Ayesha Abhir, a student from Vijayapura who took the exam at Venkat International Public School, said many girls felt uncomfortable removing their headscarves. “We were asked to remove shoes and walk barefoot. They took away my watch,” she complained. “They kept a small clock on the invigilator’s table and it was hardly visible to students sitting in the last bench.

Girls who took the exam at Delhi Public School were asked to take off their hairband and then their hair was checked, said a student.

No entry for latecomers
Though the hall tickets clearly mentioned that students must reach the exam hall between 7.30 am and 9.30 am, many came in late and cried foul. Kabilan S, a student from Salem, said he wasn’t let in though he was just a few minutes late. “I am not from this city and I do not know the time estimate. I started an hour early but still could not make it. I hope they permit me to take NEET-II or else I’ll lose one year,” he said.

Similarly, two students reached Delhi Public School at 9.45 am but were not allowed in at first. “Why have such restrictions when the exam starts at 10 am? Until we raised our voice, we were not allowed in,” they said.