Bengaluru, April 24 (IANS) As the controversy over students being asked to remove their sacred thread (janeu) at a Common Entrance Test (CET) examination centre intensified, three staff members of Krupanidhi College in Madiwala, Bengaluru, have been suspended as per the directions of the Karnataka Congress government.

The Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA) has written to the Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner, seeking an enquiry into the incident and appropriate action. Despite clear instructions not to remove the janeu, the incident occurred, and KEA suspects that it may have been a deliberate act to sow discord.

Meanwhile, three staff members including two senior woman employees of Krupanidhi College have been suspended in connection with the allegations.

The Janeu or Yagyopaveet is a sacred thread worn by Hindu males especially Brahmins across the left shoulder and under the right arm, marking their initiation into education, spiritual life, and adulthood.

The ‘Janeu row’ had resurfaced in Karnataka’s Koramangala, following a student writing the Common Entrance Test (CET) being asked to remove the sacred thread before being allowed to enter the examination hall.

A massive row was sparked last year after students who were appearing for the CET exam in Karnataka claimed that they were made to remove the sacred thread at the examination centre. The Congress government had ordered suspension of officials for getting the ‘janeu’ removed before allowing students to write exams.

The BJP on Friday criticised the Karnataka government over the fresh case in Koramangala and claimed that the authorities were targeting Hindu symbols of reverence.

The Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA) had earlier written to the Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner seeking an enquiry into the incident and appropriate action. Despite the appointment of dress code supervisors, the incident occurred. Clear instructions had been issued not to ask students to remove their sacred thread. However, the act of forcing its removal appears to be deliberate. KEA had therefore sought a detailed enquiry and a report on the action taken.

According to information that emerged through the media, during the 2026 CET examination, some candidates who had come to appear for the Physics exam on April 23 at a Bengaluru centre were allegedly instructed by staff to remove their sacred thread before being allowed to enter the examination hall.

Describing the matter as sensitive, KEA stated that it had clearly outlined dress code guidelines. Referring to a similar incident in the previous year, officials had explicitly instructed during training that religious items such as the sacred thread (janeu) and linga should not be removed.

Despite this, if such an incident has occurred, it appears prima facie to be intentional. KEA, in its letter to the Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner, has urged that a senior-level enquiry be conducted and immediate legal action be taken as per rules, along with submission of a comprehensive report.

Earlier, Minister for Higher Education, M.C. Sudhakar, responding to the janeu row, stated that the incident had not come to the notice of the KEA as yet and if any such incident had taken place, a report would be sought and strict action would be initiated.

Speaking to the media in Bengaluru earlier on Friday, he said, “The infrastructure of both government and private colleges is utilised while conducting the Common Entrance Test (CET). The services of staff from various institutions are also used on a large scale. If any staff member of any institution has acted in an extreme or inappropriate manner, action will be taken.”

–IANS

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