Published Aug 02, 2026 | 10:10 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 02, 2026 | 10:11 PM
Aspirants alleged nearly a 30-minute delay in distributing the question papers.
Synopsis: Hundreds of Karnataka police constable aspirants walked out of an examination centre in the Vijayapura district on Sunday, alleging irregularities in the distribution of question papers and OMR sheets. While candidates demanded a re-examination, district officials denied any procedural lapses, saying the examination was conducted as per KEA guidelines.
Hundreds of candidates appearing for the Karnataka police constable recruitment examination walked out of an examination centre in Vijayapura district. They staged a protest, alleging irregularities in the distribution of question papers and OMR answer sheets on Sunday, 2 August.
The disruption was reported at Sharadamba PU College in Tikota, one of the 61 examination centres in the district. Candidates claimed that the examination began amid confusion over the distribution of question papers and Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets.
The aspirants said the question papers, scheduled to be distributed at 10.30 am, were handed over to them nearly 30 minutes late. They also alleged that the serial numbers on the question papers did not match those on the OMR sheets.
In addition, candidates claimed the distribution process varied across classrooms, with some receiving question papers before OMR sheets. In contrast, others received them in the reverse order, creating uncertainty over the examination procedure.
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Alleging that the confusion denied them a fair opportunity to write the examination, hundreds of candidates boycotted the test and staged a protest outside the centre. They raised slogans against the Karnataka government.
Several aspirants broke down in tears, saying they had spent the past two to three years preparing for the recruitment examination and that the disruption jeopardised what they described as their final chance to secure a government job.
The protesting candidates demanded that the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) cancel the examination at the Tikota centre and conduct a fresh test.
Senior district officials, including Deputy Commissioner Anandh K and Superintendent of Police Laxman Nimbargi, rushed to the examination centre to review the situation and interact with candidates. While some aspirants resumed writing the examination after officials intervened, many refused to return and reiterated their demand for a re-examination.
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Responding to the allegations, Anandh said the examination had been conducted strictly in accordance with the KEA’s Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
“Sharadamba PU College was one of the 61 examination centres in Vijayapura district, and the examination was conducted as per the Karnataka Examinations Authority’s Standard Operating Procedure,” he said.
On the confusion over the OMR sheets, the deputy commissioner clarified that there was no requirement for the serial numbers on the question paper and OMR sheet to match.
“Candidates only needed to correctly mention the question paper version code and their registration number on the OMR sheet,” he said.
He added that similar confusion had briefly surfaced at a few other examination centres but was resolved after supervisors explained the procedure to candidates.
The deputy commissioner further said that candidates who walked out of the examination hall carrying question papers and OMR sheets had violated KEA guidelines and were therefore not permitted to re-enter the examination hall.
According to the district administration, around 115 candidates appeared for the examination at the Tikota centre. While the recruitment examination continued at other centres across the district, the candidates who boycotted the test maintained their demand for a re-examination, arguing that the confusion had affected the fairness of the recruitment process.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
