Bengaluru: Staff intentionally removed janivaras, punish college, says panel

Bengaluru: A panel probing the recent incident where three students were forced to remove their janivaras (sacred threads) during the KCET (Karnataka Common Entrance Test) exams at Krupanidhi PU College, Bengaluru, has found that it was an 'intentional act' by the college staff.

A committee constituted by Bengaluru Urban deputy commissioner Jagadeesha G submitted the report which said that prima facie it was proven that the college staff did it intentionally. Following this, the DC has recommended to the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) not to consider the college as a centre for any future exams.

Speaking about the report, Jagadeesha said, "We had constituted a committee headed by senior officers and during the inquiry, prima facie it was proven that the act by the staff was intentional."

Jagadeesha added that despite training the staff on the dress code and appointing a separate dress code officer, the college staff, who were on KCET examination duty, forced the students to remove their sacred threads.

"During the inquiry, the committee verified CCTV footage, discussed with the principal, spoke to students, parents and examination observers and submitted a report," he informed.

The committee has also recommended stringent action against the staff involved in the incident. "The college has already suspended the staff and an FIR has been filed and a police investigation is going on. Besides this, we are recommending stringent action against staff," he added.